Leeloo the Magnificent or How I Met My Dog

I've written a little bit about my dog, Leeloo on my "about me" page, but I don't think I've gone into detail about how much I love her. She's amazing, and part of me hates that we waited so long to get a dog, but the other part knows that if we hadn't been looking for a dog at the exact time we started looking for a dog, then she would not be ours. So here is the story (as we know it) of Leeloo the Magnificent.

In college, I went through a lot of mental health stuff. I wasn't being properly treated etc etc etc. Long story short, I couldn't have a dog so I bought a ferret, and another one...and another one.  They became my life. I loved them and having pets was very emotionally healing for me. Unfortunately, ferrets have rather short life spans (only an average of 7 years) and sadly, none of mine lasted even that long. Boomer got cancer and had to be put to sleep at age 3. Gigit started having some spleen/pancreas problems after age 6 and died peacefully at home. Dusty also developed some internal problems and I think his pancreas or spleen may have ruptured one night and he too died in my arms...
on my birthday. 

Worst. Birthday. Ever.

My furbabies

Since my ferrets died, I wanted a dog so so badly. Boyfriend wanted one too, but I'm pretty sure I drove him crazy with how badly I wanted one. Every time I saw a picture of a dog on the internet, or a dog on TV or on the street, I would mention (and by "mention I mean, whine) that I wanted a puppy.  This went on for 2 years.

Then, last spring, a friend of ours who works with the NYC ASPCA posted a video on Facebook of a really sweet pitbull who needed a home. He didn't look that big in the video, so we contacted the organization about putting in an application to meet their dogs.  We eventually set up an appointment to meet him.  We were not prepared for what greeted us. He was a super sweet super affectionate huge dog. Huge. And he was going to get bigger once he got on a more steady diet. Also, we saw how big his poop was when we took him out for a walk and we were...surprised, to say the least.  We decided he was just too big and unruly for us and our apartment.

Weeks passed and we kept in touch with our contact, Barbara about meeting other dogs. Finally, we went to meet a yorkie mix named "Una" who had the saddest intake picture ever.

SADDEST. DOG. EVER.

But, when we finally went to go meet "Una" she looked a little bit more like this:

First trip to the park

She was very shy when left alone in the meeting room with us. She just sort of sat politely in between me and Boyfriend and just sort of looked at us and then whined and whimpered when she heard Barbara's voice in the hallway. We liked "Una" and decided we would foster her with intent to adopt. Normally with the foster-with-intent process, if you keep a dog for less than 2 weeks, you can return them to the shelter if it just doesn't work out. Sort of like a trial run.  But after 3 days, Leeloo ("Una") was our dog. 

The morning she was scheduled to be dropped off at our apartment, I was complete wreck.  I was excited but anxious as hell. What if we'd made a huge mistake? What if we weren't ready for a dog? What if our lives are chaos forever? What if she hates us? What if we have to give her back? Etc...etc...etc.  Welcome to my crazy brain. 

Leeloo had been picked up by Animal Control in a parking lot in the Bronx in late April. She was dirty, matted, underweight, without any identification, and extremely skittish but gentle.  By the time she came to live with us in June, she'd been groomed, better fed, and gone through some simple obedience training.

 When Barbara finally dropped off our new doggy, I almost passed out when we walked outside to meet her. I was dizzy and almost started to cry because of all the emotions.  But as soon as Barbara handed a squirming Leeloo to me, I knew everything was going to be better.  We signed the papers right there on the curb and took Leeloo into her new home.  She came with a travel bag for riding on the subway/in the car, a collar, a leash, and a rawhide stick.  I still had a couple of bowls, clean beds, blankies, and toys left over from the ferrets that Leeloo inherited to start off in her new home.  

Today, Leeloo is a happy, active, less skittish California girl. She sits outside on a towel every day to soak up the sun.  She loves the dog park, playing tug-o-war, and staring out the window. She is magnificent and we love her.  I'm looking into possibly training her as a therapy dog for children since she loves little kids, or possibly training her to be an actor dog in commercials and stuff.  Even if we never succeed in any of these doggy dreams, I still love her more each and every day. 

How can you not love this dog?