What I will miss most (#7)

Number seven on the list of what I will miss most while in the PC is my pup: Boomer.

For those of you who have been redirected from my wife's various blogs, you know all about Boomer and her...idiosyncrasies.  Boomer is a small, timid (putting it lightly - think a terrified soldier about to invade the beaches of Normandy) and adorable dog that Kate and I rescued about two years ago.

Boomer tolerating her Mrs. Clause outfit at Christmas - she almost seems normal here. 

Boomer is probably one of the best, and punny cases, of an underdog.  She is dopey, scared and a Disney-level archetype of a dog who is constantly checking around each corner and barking at nothing.  We are approximately her fifth family after her first home where she was born, the home where she was likely beaten and abused (goodness help the person who did this if they ever meet me or Kate), the pound where she was taken next (they were about three days away from euthanizing all the dogs there because the sick bastards needed to paint), the rescue family (a part of a FANTASTIC DC-based organization that ships dogs away from high-kill shelters to areas of "high pet need"), and finally to us.

First a rant: we got Boomer when she was about four months old and about about ten pounds soaking wet.  This means that whoever did these terrible things to her did them when she was even younger and smaller than that.  Few people can understand the motives of pet abusers, but I find this case particularly disturbing.  Boomer has not a violent bone in her body - at her most rambunctious she will jump up in your lap and with great subtlety (read: unabashed and overt head to hand butting) will ask for you to pet her.

Her biggest downfalls are her obvious and chronic nervousness: quick movements, noises, and aggressive human behavior make her very scared.  To me, these are the obvious signs of a young dog who was abused at a young age.  This endears Boomer to me most days and makes me want to spoil her, other days it makes me wish that my dog was the dog that she could and should have been without human violence.

Other days, Boomer does things to annoy me to the point where I consider a Dexter-styled doggie murder where I leave no evidence and have some witty line as I make the death blow (disclaimer: I would never hurt Boomer, its just a sick fantasy I have when cleaning up her "gifts.")

Just this week, Boomer decided to have three separate accidents indoors.  I truly thought we were past all this.  She is typically fantastic with regard to self control.  Kate and I work normal hours at our jobs for the most part, and she very rarely has accidents while we are at work.  However, just as I am knee deep in what is surely a condemning silent treatment to her while giving her a bath (again) after she just soiled herself out of fear, she does something cute like get bubbles in her nose and sneeze uncontrollably for about 30 seconds while shaking her head like its being attacked by ants.  Of course, the excessive noise she makes while doing this scares her even more and she growls for the next 30 seconds.

I don't know why some days, but I will miss this Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of a dog very much while we are away.  We are so fortunate that Kate's folks are willing and able to care for her while we are gone and continue to give her the second chance at life she really deserves.

I know I have been post-aloof lately, but I will try to keep it rolling again now.  Lots of research and video watching on Cambodia has inspired me with some new thoughts and ideas on approaching our new lives there.  Never before have I been this excited and ready for an adventure.