The Story of How a Dog Walked a Couple Through Their Infertility Struggle

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Here's steven. This is a story about a time when my wife Karen and I welcomed into our family a precious little bundle of joy who happened to have floppy ears, a snout, four legs, and a tail. But first, I suppose that a small confession is in order before I share my story. There was once a time when I held a less than flattering opinion of a certain kind of dog owner and I'm sure that you have seen them before too. At first glance they might appear to be perfectly normal but upon closer inspection any previously held opinion pertaining to their alleged normalcy quickly disappears. Watching the interaction between two species for a moment and it becomes readily apparent that the collared creature tethered to the business end of the leash is much more than just the family pet. Study them for a little while longer and you may even witness this goofy dog owner walking, talking, and sometimes even wearing the same matching sweater as Fifi, Fido, Rover, or Rex.

Now as far as I'm concerned no further evidence is needed before concluding that the two-legged snoutless half of this fashionably matching pair somehow believes that this four-legged creature is their not quite human and very hairy little offspring. And let's be real I know fully well that acting as though and treating your pet as if it were your child is just weird, right? Well at least that's what I used to think until the day an adorable little puppy came into my life and suddenly I learned just how little I knew about canine relationships.

So Karen and I had the perfect recipe for our life together as husband and wife and it went much like the old schoolyard song you remember first comes love then comes marriage then well you know the rest the plan was to save up some money buy a house fill it with kids and then live happily ever after and you know something it all went just as we had planned to that is until we discovered that there was a problem with the kids part of the program. As we struggled to overcome the seemingly insurmountable roadblock to parenthood we became parents well sort of we decided to adopt a dog but not just any dog we wanted a rescue dog a real-life pound puppy and so one afternoon we called the local shelter to see if they had any and as it turned out they did and he had been waiting for us to meet him. He had been abandoned unwanted starving and not yet six weeks old when someone left him one night in the shelter van. Volunteers suggested that maybe he was a mix between a lab and a beagle or a beagle and a doberman or a doberman and a well there were just as many possible combinations offered as opinions rendered but in the end whatever his puppy pedigree happened to be we really didn't care because this tiny black and brindle bundle of trembling puppy arrived at a time in our lives when we needed him just as much as he needed us. We brought him home and we named him Harry but years later whenever I happened to mention him I would refer to him as our firstborn which to the astute listener should serve as a clue as to how that previously mentioned kids part of the program eventually turned out. Now as with the arrival of any new family member we were able to find a new dog as with the arrival of any new family member Harry's wants and needs quickly surpassed our own and suddenly we wondered how we had ever gotten along without him. Every day became another lesson in the adventures of puppy parenting and like all new parents we simply marveled at the physical changes that seemed to occur to our little guy almost daily. We tried to imagine how big he would one day become when he finally grew into those massive paws which fortuitously never happened as he forever remained a small dog with big paws.

We celebrate all of his little achievements too like when he finally slept through the night and when he mastered a few simple silly tricks and we were especially thrilled when he learned to tell us when nature necessitated his visiting that special spot that we had set aside for him beside our woodpile in the backyard instead of on the family room floor beside the sliding glass door. And of course our neighbors came to know the newest puppy on the block there in our frequent strolls around the neighborhood and naturally we delight it in showing off our little bundle of joy. And if someone somehow had missed his utter cuteness firsthand up close and personal there were always hairy photos available to keep everyone in the puppy loop. Photos taken at six weeks and then seven wide awake and asleep given puppy kisses on family vacations or just romping around the backyard.

Photos from last month last week or even last night. I was just another proud puppy pop showing off for all to see my adorable puppy son. And well the thing is I can't explain the circumstances surrounding my transformation of how I had somehow mysteriously morphed into the very same type of dog owner that once upon a time had caused me hilarious bouts of comedic cackling.

Oh I'd become one of them all right but once I had I could never imagine being anything else. Suddenly two years had come and gone and Harry was of course by then a full-fledged member of the family. Our lives were nothing less than perfect or so we thought. But circumstances previously unseen were about to change our happy household and change it forever. When Karen shared the news with me Harry didn't seem too excited.

Instead he just yawned and stretched and went right back to sleep. He couldn't have cared less about babies whatever they were. But this would soon change when Michael was born and two years later when Tracy joined our pack. And in the end Harry would prove to be an awesome big brother to his little two-legged siblings. But well that's a story for another time. Oh and as for me I suppose that I should offer an addendum to my original confession from all those years ago and it is this.

I am still one of those goofy dog owners the very same kind that I once found hysterical. But hey don't tell anyone. Instead let's just keep this a secret between you and me and my current Harry little four-legged rescue. My bestest buddy in the world my puppy son Bailey. And a great job as always by faith on the production on that piece. And a special thanks to Stephen Raciniak for sharing the story of Harry with all of us. And if you have great dog stories send them to OurAmericanStories.com.

Stephen Raciniak the story of Harry is first born here on Our American Stories. There's two kinds of people in the world. People who love health aid kombucha and people who have never tried it. The bubbly mix of probiotic tea and refreshing juice is delicious and good for your gut health. With great flavors to choose from that you can't help but love. If you've never tried it before maybe try a bottle or can of passion fruit tangerine or ginger lemon. Your taste buds and your gut will thank you. Look for the brown bottle with an anchor on it and try health aid kombucha today.

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