It's my Gotcha Day!

Today is my Gotcha Day! On this day in 2004, my Mum woke up and decided that she wanted a dog, "a friend and someone to do stuff with", she said.

Mum had been looking at pups on Petfinder.com for quite a few weeks. And on that morning when she logged in, she saw me and my brother. Back then they called me Ben and my brother Jerry. (That's me on the left). She made a call to see if we were still available and we were! So she ventured to the Southside Animal Shelter, about a 45 minute drive.

It was a beautiful, hot, fall type of day. And I remember hanging with my brother in the kennel where they were keeping me. The nice shelter folks had rescued me and my brother, sisters and birth Mum from the streets, a few weeks before.

Suddenly one of the shelter folks picked up my brother and handed him to a lady who was to be my future Mum. Well, my brother, being as he was back then, squirmed all over Mum. So she asked to see me!

I settled right in. She held me for a while, talked to me, looked me over. Then she took me over to see all the kitties in the next building. I was interested, but not too interested. So she decided to take me home.

My first day was very eventful. Mum had never had a dog before, so she knew she had to get some 'stuff' for me. On the way home we stopped at the local pet store and she bought me all kinds of gear - crate, food, feeding bowl, water bowl, toys, treats, clicker and my favorite ball to this day - the red one. The store folks told Mum, she got a good one! Little did she know...

The first few days were very busy. I met my two kittie brothers, Wolfie and Wiggy, learned how to sit, started learning potty training and walking on a leash, and how to play with toys. But I loved every minute of it, and quickly learned the ways of the house.

Since then I have had a wonderful, amazing, interesting and fun life. I've de-stuffed about 100 toys, made a few spots on the carpet, got a broken foot, a website, gastroenteritis, a new sister - Gracie, a blog, over a 100 agility training sessions, an attack by 8 dogs; I've walked miles and miles, won over 60 ribbons, qualified for the 2007 Cynosport World Game (for Steeplechase and Grand Prix), got a dislocated toe, gone through two computers and two cars.

But I only have one Mum, and that's all I'll ever need.

I wouldn't change my life for the World. Thanks for 'gettin' me Mum! Happy Gotcha Day to both of us!