Pinkie Puppy

My cousin R called me this morning..... just by the tone of her voice, I knew she was at home and not at her desk. She works in Manhattan, for one of the NYC agencies, and whenever I call her at the office, her usually over-the-top-happy voice is very subdued.

So when I heard her musical Hellllloooooo this morning over the phone, I quickly said "Don't tell me.... you're at Hobby Airport here and you need me to come pick you up!" Don't you and I both wish..... was her reply.

She told me that she had better news. You're engaged? You're getting married? You got your own apartment? You won the $10,000 First Place Prize at the dance-club? What could be better than sitting at Hobby Airport and waiting for me to come get her?

Her answer: "Mom and I have a new addition to the family here." Well, I knew what that meant--- "You've got a puppy?!"

Yes she did.......... a two-pound, three-month-old Maltese. Okay... so maybe that is better than being at the airport. My cousin was just cooing over the phone and singing the praises of the new puppy, which she had named "Pinkie." Totally cute, I'm sure--- have you ever seen a puppy (Maltese or otherwise) that isn't cute?

My cousin said she would send me photos, but I'm not holding my breath on that.... I'm still waiting for copies of the pictures taken of the two of us when she came down here last Spring. When we were finished with our phone call, I got on the Internet and searched for photographs of two-pound, three-month-old Maltese puppies....... absolutely adorable little bundles of white fur, no bigger than a tiny bunny, with black eyes and a black nose that just begs to be kissed. Which is just what I had told my cousin over the phone before we said goodbye--- "Give Pinkie a tiny kiss on her nose from her Texas Aunt!"

New puppies.... just like new babies.... they are full of such joy and promise, and they give such unselfish love. And I know for certain that Pinkie will have a good home. Already, my cousin has bought Pinkie a plush little bed and pillow (pink, of course), and two little sweaters (both pink, one with a hood). The puppy is too small to go out into the NY world, so they're training her to use those little "wee-wee pads" they have for puppies. Given my Aunt J's (R's mom) age, she won't be able to walk up and down her steps to bring Pinkie out into the yard anyway, so those little pads are the best thing.

And when my cousin R is working in Manhattan all day, taking care of tiny Pinkie will be her mom's adventure. Thankfully, R didn't just buy Pinkie without first bringing her mom to the pet shop for approval. They had been talking on and off about getting another dog-- their other Maltese passed away about ten years ago. My cousin has seen dozens of Maltese puppies since then, and so has my aunt, but until Pinkie, none of them captured their hearts like the two-pound female Pinkie.

Speaking of hearts, mine nearly stopped when my cousin told me what the Pet Shop was asking for Pinkie..... $1800...... can you imagine?! I had to literally bite my tongue to stop myself from telling my cousin what that amount of money could do for an animal shelter. She did tell me that the Pet Shop gave them $200 off the asking price, bringing Pinkie's ransom down to $1600. When I told my husband what they paid for that sweet puppy, he right away said "That's eight hundred dollars a pound!"

I checked out prices here for Maltese puppies.......... they range from $500 to $750, depending on whether you want a male or a female. Let's see, my cousin could've bought a plane ticket to Texas, landed at Hobby Airport and waited for me to pick her up, we could've gone puppy-shopping here, and she could've flown back to NY with a Maltese puppy.... both plane ticket and puppy costing less than Pinkie's $1600 price-tag.

But that's not the way it works in the puppy world, and I know that from experience. Not the way it works in the kitten world, either, come to think of it. When a tiny little puppy or kitten cuddles up to you and decides that you're the momma, then cost doesn't become an issue, unless you truly, truly don't have the money, of course.

So.... welcome to the family, Pinkie.... and your Texas Aunt has already mailed you some tiny bells for your collar and half a dozen gourmet dog biscuits.