The Unexpected Story

We left for Story, Wyoming on Thursday afternoon.  This was to be a last get-away before our standard schedule ramped into full swing.

Story is a little town.  Just over 800 residents.  It bustles up to just over 1000 in the summer.  And it's called "Story."  That's as quiet a name as it should be.

And we went there looking for a quiet weekend.  We stayed in a little log cabin that is kind of run like a B&B.  No TV in it.  But a huge stone fireplace and a box of firewood filled for each evening.  We were to spend our days with Helen and David and their 2 marvelous dogs on their one beautiful acre.  The kids were to climb trees.  Explore the meadow.  Play "chuck-it" with the dogs.  Play board games by the hearth in the evening with us right before bed.

I even warned them that this was the vacation they should expect.  No crazy kid fun on this trip. No water parks.  No children's museums.  Just nature.  And our friends.  And a hike, if weather permits. 

We got to Storey Thursday night.  Sat in David and Helen's meadow all morning.  The kids climbed and explored and were loving it. 

Then we all went for a little drive.  First stop: Storey Art Station, where regional artisans sell their work.  And there, we bought a puppy.

Yes, we did.

No, not a puppy sculpture. A live, 8 week old puppy. 

Surprising, yes.  Crazy, no.  Or maybe. . .

The artist working at the shop is a photographer from a ranch.  Her border collie and corgi had a litter and she had two puppies remaining.  She brought them to the shop with her each day she came down to Storey to work, and there they were, in a small pen, behind a door.

Helen is the one who found them, and I went to look with complete confidence that I'd be immune to them.  I know about puppies.  And I didn't want one.  Bryan and I have had the dog discussion many, many times in the last 4 years or so.  Do we want our children to grow up with a family dog?  In theory, yes.

Do I want to take care of one?  Especially a puppy?  No.  Resoundingly.  No. 

But there was something about this dog.  He wasn't the better looking of the 2.  The other had more collie in him and had beautiful proportions.  This one had the short corgi legs and just wasn't as striking. 

I did hold them both, all in fun, right?  Surely we wouldn't get a puppy while 8 hours from home, right?  And I held this one, there was. . .just something about this dog.   I nearly started crying as I held him.  I just knew he was to be part of our family.

I asked how much she was selling him for, half-expecting her to tell me that the resulting dogs were therefore designer border-orgies, or corg-ollies or coll-gies and then tell me that they were selling for $750 apiece.  That would have been the end of it. 

Nope.  He'd had his first shot so the price was $50.  And, actually, he was a gift from Helen to the kids.  But, c'mon, he's really my dog.

I'm totally fine with the kids loving him like crazy.

  

This is Aunt Helen with the kids and her service dog, BroJean.  She's something of a dog-whisperer.  So super-excellent with dog training.  She and Uncle David have taken in (how many??) dogs over the years. Mostly rescued Dobies.  But all kinds, really.  And they train them well. 

She has already taught me so much, and Benziger and I are off to a really great start.  No potty accidents so far.  He obeys several commands already:  come, leave it, foodies, and "bells."

I'm serious: we have sleigh bells by the front door and he is already trained to nudge them when he needs (or wants) to go outside.  The kids and I could hardly believe it when he did it on his own tonight!

Oh, right, some explanation on the name Benziger.  This is Helen's maiden name.  We were shopping for his leash and food dish when the idea came to me.  I like grand names for small dogs.  It's now the end of Day 4 since he joined our family and I call him "Benzig." 

We got to that hike, after all.  This is the monument at the Fetterman Massacre site.  Some very brutal history in those parts.  As Sanburg wrote, "Shovel me under and let me work/I am the grass and I cover all."

I realize you can't see much of the dog in these photos.  But we all wanted to hold him the whole time. . .

Bryan, too, by the way.  He was very, very surprised that I wanted this puppy.  Glad, though.  We had a family movie night the evening we arrived home (after an 8 hour ride of taking turns holding him--best car ride of our lives!) and Bryan wanted to hold Benziger on his lap for the whole thing.

All of which is not to say that he is as smitten as I . . .

"Gemma, go stand by that monument!"

Gemma took this photo.  She's pretty handy with the camera nowadays.

Of course, Benziger has some serious cuteness competition.