I suppose you might be wondering, "Who is Archie?" Well, let me go back and start from the beginning...
Aaron and I, ever since we have been together, have talked about our future dog. We always smile and laugh when we see dogs on TV, walking down the street, just anywhere, and have been anxious to get our own. We had planned to wait until after the wedding, but we decided the timing is right to find one now, and for the last couple months or so, we have been restlessly searching petfinder.org for the puppy of our dreams.
We would check obsessively, day after day, for new additions, and we found some absolutely adorable dogs. It wasn't until we saw Marcello for the first time that we knew he had to be ours.
Marchello's picture on petfinder was jaw dropping. His teddy bear face and scruffy fur just yanked on our heart. He was exactly what we had imagined he would look like, and we knew we had to act fast. A dog like that does not stay on petfinder for long.
I emailed the shelter along with a voicemail or two with no response. The website indicated that the shelter was private, and any inquiries would take long to process. Weeks went by, and we began to lose hope.
Finally, I decided we weren't going to give up that easily, so we decided to travel an hour and a half north to the Petco, where on Saturdays the shelter hosts showings of the available dogs. We got there and saw three puppies, none of which were Marcello. After other prospective owners cleared out, I asked the shelter owner about the puppy we'd be hoping for. She told us he was taken, and that we could fill out an application for first picks on future dogs. Although discouraged, we filled out an application.
After filling out the application, the shelter owner mentioned that there was only one application for Marchello, and that she was going to contact them to make sure they were still interested. If they weren't, she said he could be ours. I tried not to get my hopes up too high, thinking "Who wouldn't want that sweet baby maltipoo?".
We left the Petco and in the car, Aaron and I prayed that if it was meant to be, we would get Marcello. The rest of the day went on as usual, but we both could not shake him from our minds. We decided to go see a movie, which acted as a good distraction from the anxiety we were facing.
Although it's against my normal behavior to have my phone out in the theater, I needed to make sure to have it ready if the shelter owner called. I got two text messages, and each time my phone vibrated my heart sunk. Finally, the third time it went off, it was a call, and the call was from the shelter number. I quickly jumped out of my seat and ran to the exit. I got to the call just in time, and what I heard next made my eyes tear up.
The woman explained that the other applicants decided to adopt elsewhere, and if we wanted Marcello, he was ours. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Are you crazy??!? Of course we will take him!!!" but I just politely said "yes" and she told me we could pick him up Saturday... as in this coming Saturday! I wanted to jump up and down and scream, but of course, I was in a movie theater, so I had to quietly celebrate and whisper to Aaron with the most excitement I could.
At this point, you might still be asking, "So wait, who is Archie then?" Well, Archie is Marcello. We thought Marcello was cute, but decided to go with something a little more... dog-like. I started playing with his name by shortening Marcello to Marchie, and of course that didn't work, but then it seemed obvious... Archie.
So next Saturday, July 17th, Archie will officially be ours, and I can't wait to introduce him to everyone we know. He is going to be the best dog, and I know he is going to bring so much joy into Aaron and I's life.
And so begins this blog, where I hope to document all the fun we have with our new pet. I hope to document all the lessons we learn, the pictures we take, and the fun we have with our new friend. Hopefully you will enjoy reading our little slice of life.
Until Saturday, blessings from me to you.
:D
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