The abridged story of our dog ownership, start to finish

How it came to pass that we got a dog:
On December 8, I got an email from Andrew that said, "Tell me you don't want this dog." Attached was this irresistible picture.

I wrote back and said, "I DO want that dog!" Hello - those eyes? You can't deny that is the cutest dog you've ever seen.

So he submitted an application to the adoption lady, Shelly. (Actually, I'm pretty certain he did that before we ever talked about it.) Later that night I spoke with her on the phone.

The next day, Dec. 9, Shelly called and we sent up a time for a home visit the next day.

The morning of Dec. 10, I took the kids to Petsmart to get the dog essentials to prepare for Angel's arrival that afternoon. Angel arrived at about 1:30pm, and when I opened the door I thought I would die with the cuteness of that little dog. I fell in love with her. We spent the rest of that day getting used to her and she to us. I went to bed that night happy and peaceful knowing I had someone there with me.

Dec. 11 dawned (not bright and early, because we have been seriously sleeping in since daylight savings), and I noticed that Leighton might be allergic to Angel. He was rubbing his eyes, getting red splotches all over his face, sneezing, and acting miserable. Benadryl fixed him right up, but I started to wonder about the realisticness (is that word?) of keeping Angel.

Dec. 12 the same thing happened. I talked to Andrew about maybe not keeping Angel.

Dec. 13, yesterday, Leighton was fine. We weren't around the dog a ton what with church and all, but I thought maybe I had been exaggerating his reaction. But my heart told me that keeping Angel was not the best thing for our family. So I sent Shelly an email telling her we would have to give Angel back.

Dec. 14, today. We made the hour drive to meet Shelly and give Angel back. I was a little sad to see her go and I will miss some things about having her. I'll admit that I cried for about 30 seconds. But I feel so relieved and peaceful now - better than I have felt since getting her. The stress of worrying about whether or not to keep her was really getting to me, and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

In summary: We got a dog, kept her for 4 days, and then gave her back. We no longer have a dog. Everything is back to normal.

The end.