This Little Egge: Happy Adoption Day Mr. B!

On June 15th, 2012 Buckwheat came into our lives. In a way, he felt meant for us. He showed up on the SPCA website on a Monday, the very week we had set as the week we could start looking for a dog. I was instantly smitten--his bright eyes, his funny ears, his cowlicks, his stance. I checked the website every day that week (often several times a day) to make sure he was still there. I spontaneously called out his name around our condo; I sent C texts and Gchat messages composed of a single word: "Buckwheat!". By Friday, he was ours.

I thought I was prepared for the love I would feel for him. My family had two dogs growing up and I adored them both. The first, Coco Bear, was a lap dog with an adventurous streak (and a bit of a feisty side). He still makes appearances in my dreams. The second, Lucy, was a big stray that loved people and walks and fetch and swimming. She was a total sweetheart and practically our whole neighborhood fell in love with her. But my love for Buckwheat is on a whole different level. It was immediate and strong and deep; it's the kind of love you feel in your stomach; the kind of love that makes you giddy and causes you to smile spontaneously. I suppose it comes from being charged with his care and from the intimacy of sharing a home (and a life). But really, he just melts my heart. Every single day.

Over the last year, Buckwheat has acquired too many nicknames to count. He's Mr. B, BW, B Dubs, B Whizzle, Buck, Bucky, Buckaroni, Bug, Buggy, Bugaroo, Bugsy and Bugsy Malone--all riffs on Love Bug which is actually short for Love Bug Jr. (which is occasionally abbreviated to LBJ); he's our little nut ball, our fur child, our wild man; he's a smoochy pooch, a muskrat, a bundle and a puppy face . . . And that's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Other people call him cute, SO cute, adorable, handsome, and good looking. They say he looks like Benji or a wookie or a teddy bear. He's even been called a rock star. He attracts people from all walks of life. He makes people smile. I see it as they walk by.

When Buckwheat walks down the street, he has a pep in his step. His walk has been called a prance. A man once stopped me and said, "That dogs so cool. He walks SO proud". It's true--his strut looks proud. There's a spirit, an ease and an enthusiasm when he walks--whenever he walks, wherever he goes. On my laziest days, Buckwheat gets me out of the house and reminds me that the world is exciting and that we should never stop being curious and that we should continue to be playful and that we should always be grateful .

He's a happy, plucky dog with a sweet, sweet heart. In the evenings he joins us on the couch and we rub his belly and he makes us laugh (and laugh, and laugh). Before bed, he sometime leads us on chases through the living room--he jumps up on furniture, crouches, spins wildly in the air, runs around the table and then does it all over again--these also tend to end in laughter. And Buckwheat has that doggy intuition. When I'm sad or worried or can't sleep--he'll curl up close and keep me company (I don't even have to say anything).

Our life is sillier, happier and sweeter with Buckwheat in it. There are more walks, more laughter, more lazy mornings, more adventures--our life is more complete. Before, there was A and C and we were married and in love and happy. Now we are ABC--we're a little family; we're a pack.

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In honor of Buckwheat's adoption day, we spoiled him rotten--I baked him doggy cupcakes and C grilled him his very own steak (half of which we saved for tomorrow). I won't apologize for it though--it was definitely a day worth celebrating. We love you Mr. B!

And now for a selection of Buckwheat photos: