A long time ago, over the holiday season, a puppy named Lucy, a beagle mix, drastically altered the Smith family’s lives. She liked to play with the wrapping paper.
10 year old Matthew had wanted a puppy for a long time. He only ever spoke about it. Even his sister got involved, bringing home library books on a range of dog-related subjects, such as how to take care of a dog. We made several trips as a family to the Humane League and the neighborhood pet stores.
One sad trip to the neighborhood shelter revealed only an older dog, which was trembling in its cage. While Matthew believed it would be acceptable for us to bring the dog home, I made every effort to persuade him that we should continue hunting for the ideal dog.
I made a commitment to Matthew that we would return to the Humane League after his early dismissal from school in the middle of November. He jumped off the school bus, eager to get going. I told him that we had not been very successful, so he wouldn’t get too hopeful.
The person behind the counter at the shelter informed me that they had just received a litter of puppies when I arrived. We took a seat in the waiting area as they continued to examine the puppies. After a little while, Matthew was able to pick a puppy from the litter, and he went with the tiniest one. She was white and tan.
I knew we wouldn’t be going without the dog as soon as he started to hold her.
My original intention was to go back later, after my wife got off work, so that we could decide whether to adopt the puppy. The puppy rapidly won Matthew’s affection, and he held her for an extended period of time while beaming broadly. I was concerned that the dog might be gone if we left and returned later. So we took her in as our own and adopted her.
She was only 2 pounds. She wouldn’t weigh more than 10 pounds, the vet predicted, but that turned out not to be the case.
She was given the name Lucy, and Matthew kept his promise to look after her. He made sure she had food and drink each day and took her for walks in the fresh air.
As pets frequently do, Lucy became the Christmas puppy who profoundly altered our lives in ways we never imagined. She quickly assimilated into our family. We have many images of Lucy with our family in front of the Christmas tree.
It had been 25 years since that November afternoon. Young adults who have their own pets live with the children.
Every year when we get together to celebrate Christmas, someone will tell us a hilarious or sentimental story about Lucy. One of my favorite photos from that first Christmas is of Matthew standing next to Lucy, who is wearing a bow on top of her head.
Source: Lancaster Online
