Our First Night

Blogging Friends: This is an old story, one that I forgot to write about!! Oops. Oh well, here it is now!!

First nights together. Every canine owner experiences them. A crying, yappy puppy that was "abandoned" in the garage. An incorrigible, escape artist who wreaks havoc to his confinement downstairs. There are several much-needed adjustments during such transition periods!! The first night I spent with Rose after we adopted her was anything but uneventful. Not because of my girl. No. Rose is a wonderful dog, and, unless nature calls her, or she has to vomit, my mongrel remains on her dog pillow. All night long!! It was eventful because of me. I had caught a nasty chest cold germ right around the time when we adopted Rose. Plus I suffer from asthma. So during my first night with Rose, I lost several hours' sleep, due to coughing, wheezing and gasping for breath. I was drugged with an albuterol inhaler, plus "mucous-dehydrating" over-the-counter pills. However, this attack seemed impossible to overcome!! I tossed, turned, moaned, and groaned. Coughed, wheezed, gasped for breath. Meanwhile, I was being watched. By a pair of dark brown loving, concerned, colossal-sized eyes. Rose was lying upon her dog pillow just across from me, ears perked, forehead furrowed. She probably did not achieve any more sleep than I that night!! No doubt Rose was thinking during my attack: Oh dear.... I have just been adopted by an ill human!! What if she dies on me? Okay. Seriously. But I have witnessed it firsthand. Rose does "worry" about me!! In the days following, I continued to battle my twain illnesses. For asthma/chest colds can mix together about as dangerously as oil/water!! And, this followed an incredible dog-free Summer of one restful night after another. Literally. We even dared to broach the subject of whether or not Rose's dander was causing these symptoms. Which I refused to believe!! Vehemently!! I had just adopted Rose. This beautifully unique "Mystery Dog"!! Our local shelter had allowed us some return-policy agreement should things not go smoothly with Rose's adjustment period, but I was already head-over-heels in love with her!! Nothing would take my little girl away now!! Irrational as this may sound, I was even willing to be in an unhealthy, coughing state for the rest of Rose's existence!! Zero complaints. I felt attached to Rose that much already.... Today, my asthma is actually better than ever before!! Love conquers all....