Day One, Saturday, May 8, 2010

Today was not the best day to get a new puppy. My mom's funeral is tomorrow and family is coming in from across the country. I was at the Walmart in Clinton, Arkansas with my sister, making light of all the cars and trucks at the front of the parking lot with people out selling and giving away puppies. This is not an uncommon sight on weekends at most any Walmart in the country.

I finished ahead of my sister and unloaded my basket into the car while I waited on her. Across the aisle was an SUV with the back open and two puppies playing in the back. A young woman with a small child in the front seat was offering the pups to passing Walmart patrons.

I had to look.

There were two pups: sisters. The young lady said they were lab/border collie mix, 3 months old. One was black and white and looked like a border collie. The other was a shorter haired solid golden tan little sweetheart. I bonded immediately.

I stayed awhile petting her as my sister came up and asked if I was getting a puppy. Not now. Not the time, but I took the lady's cell number and said I'd call in a couple of days and see if she still had the golden one.

We left and stopped across the street for a diet cherry limeaid at Sonic. We needed gas, so stopped back at Walmart at fill up before going back to Fairfield Bay. My wife and daughter where on the way in from Fort Worth. I called and asked if they brought the little fold-out pet pen for my daughter's little Shitzu.

They had. It was in the mini-van with them. That was the deciding factor. I had a place to keep her temporary while everything was going on over the next few days.

I went back and the black and white was gone. I took the golden puppy and named her Evy. She was very happy to go with me. It had apparently been a long day at the Walmart. As I put her in my car to go, another Walmart customer got into his car parked next to mine and seeing what was going on remarked, "There's no such thing as a free puppy."

Sometimes things happen at the wrong time but somehow it all works out in the end.