Foolish Me - Part II
For the first time in many months, my house was calm and peaceful. We’d just given up a rambunctious puppy and were down to one dog, my cute little twenty pound Labradoodle, Vincent. But I was still itching to replace my precious Lucille whom I’d lost to cancer the previous summer. So, despite the many obstacles, including a scammer who ghosted me and my subsequent revenge plot against her, my quest to find a new dog continued.
THIS IS PART 2 of a FOUR-PART STORY
Vini
I was determined to overcome any obstacles in order to get Maxwell, the ten-month-old Landseer I’d located in Houston, but the gods were against me. A few days before I was to meet the dog, my little Labradoodle, Vini, began to display symptoms of being unwell. He curled himself into a tiny ball and refused to move, huddling in a corner and trembling all over. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, but noticed he was favoring his left foreleg and was actually limping. So I took him to the vet.
First they told me the leg was sprained, and to give him a few days. When Vini continued to limp several days later, I sent him back to the vet who took X-rays and announced it was a slipped disc in his neck. This would take a while to heal and would require steroids. Clearly, I couldn’t bring a new puppy into the house, so I contacted Maxwell’s owner, asking if I could postpone the pickup till Vini was back to his old self, which would take a week or two. She was agreeable. The pickup was set for the 30th; we’d touch base the day before. Meanwhile, I put a $500 deposit on Maxwell.
Time passed. It took three weeks, steroids and a trip to the chiropractor for Vini to get better. Throughout this period, Maxwell’s owner, Cindy, and I texted back and forth as if we were old friends. I was glad to be dealing with someone so understanding. I began to imagine the energy of a huge, uncut, black-and-white Newfie in the house, to plan for his arrival. I bought toys, kibble, chewies, a giant crate.
On the 29th I contacted Cindy, saying I’d come for the dog the next day, and that’s when things changed and she went apeshit.
Maxwell
“You were supposed to pick up the dog today,” she said.
I couldn’t do that and sent copies of our texts agreeing the 30th was the day we’d planned on. Her reply? If I didn’t come for the dog by 6pm on the 30th that would be the end of our arrangement. She wouldn’t meet me in Sealy. I’d have to drive all the way to her house in Pearland. The only problem was that when I asked for her exact address, all she sent were two intersecting streets. I had no idea where she actually lived.