One day, almost five years ago, Kim came up to me and said, "I'm ready". Not knowing exactly what she was talking about, I looked at her with a questioning expression. "For a new dog" she said "I think my heart is ready for that kind of love again." When we had gotten together four years ago, we each had "our" dogs, the loyal companions that had chosen us, independently through our own trials and tribulations, still loving and accepting us after all of our youthful mistakes.

A year before we had said our tearful goodbye to Georgia Bean, Kim's eleven year old golden colored mix, who had been suffering with an oral malignant melanoma. The loss was tough on Kim because Bean dog was not only her loyal side kick, but also her work companion, running the length of the tennis courts as she made her rounds. Kim needed time to grieve the loss.

"I've had this vision that our next puppy is waiting for us at the new Dawson County Humane Society" she said joyfully. I was willing to go along with her whim but was not very eagerly anticipating having to train a puppy, especially because there was a good possibility that I was pregnant. We scoured the the pound and I wept as we passed every crate with those sad eyes staring at us saying "Am I the one?". I couldn't take it...I had to have a break...I was ready to take all of them.

Kim wanted to look through the puppies once again and that was when we spotted the one, a kind of meek, 12 week old floppy eared mutt in the rear corner. We took her out and Kim was instantly in love, it was obviously meant to be and her name was going to be Birdie. The very next morning I got a positive reading on the EPT stick, we were pregnant with Senia Mae.

Although I was initially not very excited about dealing with a puppy and having morning sickness at the same time, Birdie has become a very important member of our family. If it was not for her, I probably would not be alive today.

After having a Cesarian section delivery, I was laid up in bed feeling feverish. Birdie jumped on the bed and landed on my painful incision...it immediately ruptured. The ER doctor said I would have been dead in another hour from sepsis if that dog had not made us aware. An antibiotic resistant MRSA infection, obtained during the C-section surgery, was secretly taking over my body. Thankfully, Birdie had smelled the infection brewing inside of me. I can never praise her enough.

Today our sweet dog is turning 5 years old. This morning Senia Mae and I were mixing together her special doggie birthday cake, shredding the carrots and scatterings half of them over the kitchen counter. "The good news is that Mommy Kim is a cleaning lady!" I said with pleasure. "What's the bad news, then?" Senia Mae asked innocently. "There's no bad news...it's Birdie's birthday...we are supposed to make a mess."

Birdie loved having her own cake after she got over the fear of the burning candles! Happy Birthday to a great family dog, we love you!