Rodrigo bought him on Friday during his lunch break. The kids had no idea. At about 7:00 p.m, abuelo (grandpa) walked in with Rodrigo, carrying a black puppy in his arms. Lucas sat up and pointed at him. “Whose dog is that?” he asked.
Abuelo said, in a quiet voice “Yours.”
Emma jumped out from where she was, Lucas ran over and they made fast friends with their new puppy. We named him Gibby. This truly shows that I let my kids watch too much television. Gibby is the name of a character in iCarly – one of their favorites.
On Friday after Rodrigo and I talked about buying this dog, as he was on sale, a weird anxiety came over me for the rest of the afternoon. I thought at first it was just the normal pre-puppy, what-have-I-got-myself-into anxiety that anyone who has a puppy knows about, but upon deeper consideration, I realized it was a sinking reality, the cementing in stone of something. I live in Chile. I bought a dog. This .kfe isn’t transient anymore, not when there’s a dog involved.
It’s been one year since I arrived here with the kids. Now, we have a dog. So there you have it. I guess it’s settled. I live in Chile with my two kids, my husband, Rodrigo, and my dog, Gibby. He’s significant for many reasons. The kids needed a puppy. We gave two wonderful dogs away before we left last year, and it broke something in all of us, I think. It is one of the most poignant memories I have of Emma saying good-bye to Bubba. I have it on video and can’t watch it. It’s too much – dogs are a stabilizing force in our lives, aren’t they? And when we lose one, it’s hard to explain how it feels.
We’ve been waiting until I felt more settled, more able to take on a puppy and all the attention they need. I’m not sure I’m ready… but I was ready for my kids to feel like they belong here, like here is home. And I think Gibby is just what we needed for that.
Tell me about your dog stories … I’d love to hear.
Much love,
Tina
Congratulations! Gibby is painfully cute and makes a wonderful addition to the family.
Thanks Valerie! He is cute. Maybe you can meet him sometime. Much love, Tina
Tina – This looks like a Border Collie. I have had them for many years, we are on our 4th generation. They are my favorite dog. I don’t know of one more loyal, smart, watchful (particularly of domesticated animals, and probably your kids, too), helpful, and all around wonderful dog to have for a dear companion. The only thing better is having two of them, which I have also had for years. His energy will be great for your children, and vice versa. When I have to leave my farm for a few days, it is my dogs that I miss the most. Congratulations! He is very adorable!
Barb, he is a Border Collie. I’m so thankful we found one here. Thank you. I think you’re right. When we’re living on our land, we’ll have to get a friend – to keep him company. So good to know someone else with good experience with Border Collies.
Thrilled for you guys, especially for your kids! You know we have to Border Collie-Golden Retriever crosses – what I might not have told you is that when the neighbors heard Maggie barking uncharacteristically loudly a few weeks ago, they came down to our property to find her barking a bear out of our yard. Our younger Coltriever was hiding on the front porch. But Maggie with her 7 year loyalty to our family and simply her maturity as a dog, would not back down. Watching her watch Caleb is something else too, she has picked him out, of all our children as needing something special. When he leaves for the forest she follows his every step and ushers him all the way to the house when he returns. When he swings, she sits by his side until he moves on. She doesn’t attend to any of our other kids anywhere near that way. She loves them, as a herd, corrals them well if they wander, but its not the same. Isn’t that interesting?!
Congrats on your sweet puppy – many happy memories are ahead!
-Karissa
Oh my friends – what JOYOUS news! You know how I feel about dogs – we miss ours so very much..Max and Missy were 16 and 15 respectively when they passed and the holes in our hearts will always be there. Indeed they are important family members for so many reasons…I love how they can catch every tear, and reassure us in an indescribable way..then bring such JOY and laughter – right when we need it. Blessings to all – welcome Gibby to your family – one of the coolest families I know!! Love you all….
I can’t imagine losing dogs after fifteen and sixteen years. So sad. Thank you for sharing in the journey!