By Brenda Alesii
When my phone rang in the early evening of Dec. 21 last year, I noticed it was my husband, Dan, calling on his way home from work. When I answered, he posed a loaded question: “How much do you love me?”
After nearly three decades of marriage, the query was fraught with all sorts of implications. My immediate reaction was three-fold: What did you do? What did you buy? What did you eat?
His response was simple and direct -- please open the front door. My curiosity was piqued, to say the least, mostly because my spouse of nearly 30 years can still pull off some amazing surprises.
As I flung open the door, there stood Dan, cradling a two-month-old puppy, barely discernible as his black fur blended in the warm embrace of my husband’s arms. The pooch gently lifted and cocked his head, his cocoa brown eyes peering at me with a look of astonishment almost as pronounced as mine. I had another question for Dan: Are you crazy?
His answer reflected the season of our lives, carpe diem style. As time marches on, we realize how fragile and fleeting life can be. He and I often talk about things we still want to do, experiences we want to share, and try to leave our regrets in the rearview mirror.
A few weeks before the holidays, I had made an off-hand remark about how I’d consider getting a puppy if we ever retired. An affirmed cat owner and huge animal lover, I viewed dogs as a tremendous amount of work and a bigger commitment than the feline set. Dan, on the other hand, said there’s no time like the present.
It took me all of a minute to fall head over heels in love with this gorgeous little canine, a teddy bear breed, a mix of bichon frise and Shih-Tzu; the cute factor and his affectionate personality were immediately on full display.
While charmed by this precious puppy, reality soon set in and I posed a question to Dan. How in the world can we make this work?
Our jobs consume us, we travel frequently, and, oh, there’s the matter of the two indoor cats that share our home. Will it be fair to the 14-year-old Siamese and the 10-year-old tabby cat? Dan assured me we would make it work, so we did.
Brenda Alesii
One thing we quickly decided on was his name. On the evening of the surprise, I was exercising in a T-shirt from one of our favorite shows, “Breaking Bad.” We both agreed our new addition would be called Walter, after the iconic anti-hero portrayed by Bryan Cranston. A big name for a little dog.
A year later, despite the challenges of training this rambunctious, cuddly pooch, I’m pleasantly surprised at how Walt has won me over, adding immeasurably to the fun factor at home and at my husband’s store, greeting customers with a vigorous tail wag, bringing a smile to even the grumpiest patron, and quickly becoming the store mascot.
At the end of the day, when Walter plops down next to me, the world gets just a little better. Even the cats have acclimated to their energetic housemate, going as far as sharing the bed with him. And us.
Now, one year later, I can’t imagine our lives without Walter.
Sometimes surprises can be a good thing.
Brenda Alesii is a talk show host and marketing executive for Entercom Communications.
2019-12-27 00:00:23Z
https://buffalonews.com/2019/12/26/my-view-a-pup-named-walt-adds-life-to-our-years/
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