My Boy

This is the story about me and my dog. I write it from my memory.

"This Christmas was going to be different than the rest. Less than a year ago, I was disabled with a syndrome labeled Guillain Barre Syndrome. Now from the waist down I was paralysed. My wish list consisted of many things, but the one I didn't dare hope for was a new dog. I knew Dad wasn't the biggest on dogs and I felt it was too much to hope for.
"After the kids had all been woken up by each other, we gathered to sing Christmas Carols to wake the parents. It's a tradition which I plan never to die in my family. After the first few songs, they were finally up. We lined up youngest to oldest and marched into the living room.
"This year, my stuff was placed on the right side of the couch. My eyes quickly scanned the items which lie there and zeroed in on the one I most wanted. I had received a certificate to adopt the dog of my choice whenever I wanted. For the rest of the day I could not stop smiling.
"I waited until summer to receive my dog. I had hoped to be walking again by then but things don't always end up as planed. Three other obstacles stood in my way. One: My Mom is allergic to most dogs, Two: My brother dislikes many dogs, and Three: Dad had to approve. I did as much research as possible to be ready for the day I would finally be able to find my future friend, mostly seeking out all the animal shelters in my area and looking at the dogs available on Petfinder.com.
"It was either the first or second day of Summer Vacation when Mom said we could go to an animal shelter to look for a dog that would fit the family requirements. I admit I was wary, I was worried I'd fall in love with a dog I could not adopt. But I chose a shelter to go to and decided on a few of the dogs I would like to look at.
"The first dog we met, Mom was allergic to. That was OK with me because he just didn't feel like the right dog for our family. It was the second one I fell in love with, despite all my preparation.
"They had trouble getting him in the room. He laid down on the floor and wouldn't budge. They finally got him in by carrying him into the room and placing him on my lap. He was just the right size. The poor pup was trembling. After awhile he calmed down while he was laying there, but as soon as we put him back down on the ground, he started to tremble and ran under the bench. Mom and I talked it over and decided he was going to work as long as I would comb him every day to stop Mom from being allergic. Now to convince Dad it was the right choice.
"The two things Dad said about the dog restrictions were 1. No Shedding (I knew I was going to have a tough time with that one.) 2. No big dogs. Now the dog I chose (formally known as Manny), was medium sized. We didn't know if he would grow anymore but I thought he would. Dad asked the shelter workers and they didn't think so. After making me promise(again) that I would comb him as much as needed, he said yes. I was so shocked. Only in my greatest dreams did I think that I would be able to adopt him, now I was going to get him for real.
"We couldn't adopt him for another week (give or take) but we weren't quite ready anyway. Mom took me shopping for everything he would need and I was so excited I set it up in my room as soon as possible.
"Finally I was able to pick him up. He had just been neutered (requirement before adoption) so he was really drowsy, which might have been a good thing. We drove the short distance home and placed him on his bed. I had Youth Group that night so I had to leave him. I hated to do it. I begged and begged to stay home but Dad wouldn't let me. Mom assured me that he would still be there when I got home and I reluctantly left.
"I didn't linger that night but excused myself as soon as the meeting was over and waited patently during the half-hour drive. And things went smoothly from there... for the most part.
"Being a shelter dog, we knew there were going to be issues. What we didn't account for was Cody would not walk on a leash. For the first month or so we tried various different methods. To get him out in the world, he rode on my lap. We finally tried a harness(which I thought would work from the beginning. It did. Quite easily too.
"We moved into a new house shortly after we adopted him and, luckily he had been mostly house trained when we got him. After only a few mistakes he fully learned only to go outside.
"Now, about 6 months later, we are best friends. He'll follow me around the house, beg to play, or even just lay by me as I do my homework. Dad and him are getting to be at least familiar with each other. For awhile Cody would play with Dad, then Dad took a trip away for awhile and their relationship had a setback. They are almost where they were before the trip and still getting better. My older brother put forth almost no effort and was mean a couple of times so Cody has learned to keep his distance. And my younger brother is tolerated and loved. Besides Mom, he is the best helper to me and Cody. The two oldest didn't have much of a chance because they are away all the time. Our other dog, Max (13), wishes we hadn't brought him in our home because Cody wants to wrestle all the time and Max doesn't want to at all. He appreciates his company while we are gone though, and the slobbery bones.
"If I had the chance of changing things, I would do it all over again, even if it does mean sacrificing a few pairs of shoes and money out of my pocket. Cody was the best decision ever."