Puppies!

I was on the road for five hours yesterday. I'm happy to say the physical therapists changed one of my exercises, which completely eliminated the nausea and extreme pain and I'm functional again (*knock on wood*).

So, I hit the road yesterday to visit some important colleagues and drop in at a potential client's. The day was gorgeous; warm and slightly windy with puffs of cloud but no threat of rain. This, incidentally, is becoming a problem right now. We're in the middle of a drought. Those rain clouds were merely teasing us.

My trip initially took me to a relatively undeveloped part of Florida, which is mainly farmland or road construction and little else. It took 1 1/2 hours to get to my first goal, then another 40 minutes to get to my future client's (let's call him Jed). I was startled to discover it was a home address when I pulled in, but that's not unusual. Many businesses are home-based.

When Jed opened the door, four dogs barrelled out. "I'm so sorry," he said, "I hope you like dogs!" There were three adult shnauzers and a small white puppy gambolling about on the lawn.

"Ohhhhh! Yes I do!" I said, excitedly. I helped him get the dogs inside, scooping up the tiny white puppy and cuddling her. She was a cute little thing with a roly poly belly.

"Good," he said, "because there are three other puppies inside."

We took a good 20 minutes to play with the dogs and the puppies, and talk about the brood. Mama had gotten pregnant unexpectedly and he has all these puppies that he doesn't know what to do with. I was enchanted, and (seeing a sucker) Jed gave me a photo so that I could think about it. I really adore the little white female but all are very sweet:

The puppy at the back of the picture died recently from falling off the seawall into the ocean outside his back door (how sad!) but the others are just a little older than this picture.

I never knew that shnauzers come in more than one color! But the white ones will turn into a beautiful white/silver color as they age. I am so terribly tempted.

I already have two dogs: BoBo and BugEyes. But BugEyes is a behavioral nightmare and I have tried everything but can't stop her barking. That's a problem because I work from my home office and it hardly sounds professional when you have an idiot dog yapping away brainlessly at the slightest imagined noise. We have been discussing giving her away to a good home. She isn't cheap; she's cost me over $1000 so far - so I'm not taking it lightly. But I think it's time to cut my losses. And as an only dog, she would probably thrive.

However, BoBo would be very lonely. Perhaps a puppy like this would help?

After we discussed his dogs, Jed and I discussed his business. It turns out his father is a multi-millionaire with a large company, so I naturally suggested that I go after that business, too. He shook his head emphatically. "My dad doesn't need your services," he said. His tone indicated something; a slight verbal retreat. So I didn't pursue it.

But a little later, he made the comment that although his dad is rich, he is unwilling to share the wealth with his son. "Well, you know what they say about millionaires," I said, consolingly. "They wouldn't be millionaires if they gave it all away!" He nodded glumly.

As I left, I commented on his house. "I just got a new roof last year after the hurricane ripped it off," he told me. "Of course I should have flood insurance too, but I don't have a mortgage so I'm not forced to get it. Dad holds the note on the house."

Their relationship sounds difficult. Millionaires: You can't live with them, you can't live without them. As for the puppies, oh, they're so precious. I probably won't get her, but the little white one is calling to me...