I saw a quote recently that said "dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole," I did not realize how true that statement was until a few weeks ago when Tally came into my life. Although I have been lucky enough to have two wonderful pets growing up, my love for Tally is different than for Butch or Otis and my responsibility to her is different as well. I knew getting a puppy would be just like having a baby, they need to be cared for in the same sense and I knew from my experience with kids I was ready to take on the challenge. Although I decided I was ready for a dog, it wasn't completely my decision to make. As a nanny I needed to talk it over with the family and see what they thought.
Upon discussing the option of getting a dog with the parents and getting the approval we decided to tell the girls. Until that moment I have never seen the three of them so happy at the same time. In a house where not everyone is going to be happy on a decision, this was a rare occasion, but I'm glad that I could not only see the happiness but be the reason behind it as well. I told the girls that I would be getting a female puppy and she would be a small breed but at that moment I wasn't sure what I would be getting until I did research and found a breeder that I liked. They understood and promised to take care of the puppy as long as I lived with them. I knew they meant well but it wasn't their help that I wanted, it was there understanding that this was not just something for them to play with but something to teach them responsibility as well. After we all agreed on what would happen once the puppy came home I began my research.
After two weeks of research and contact with breeders, I had decided on getting maltipoo, a mixed breed of maltese and toy poodle. I found a breeder in North Carolina that had two maltipoo's available and one was a black female. From the picture she sent I knew she was perfect. Dad, Molly, and I drove half way to meet her and the second I saw her, there was no way she was not coming home with us. I texted the family and sent them a picture that said "she's perfect and she's ours," and in a few short hours the girls would be meeting their newest roommate.
Before we even left North Caroline I knew this little girl needed a name. I had decided on the name Tallulah but after much debate from my family we realized it didn't roll off the tongue as easy as shorter named did. It was with that, that we decided to call her Tally. Although her name was decided I wanted to see what my three girls had in mind, and thankfully I didn't allow them to decide. The oldest wanted Katniss, the middle wanted Junie B, and the youngest wanted to name her Stripes, but not because of a character in a book but because she liked the name. Lucky for me they liked the name Tally and from that moment she was our Tally-Cat.
