Lexi intro

I want to talk about my dog Lexi, today. She was on my mind when I woke this morning in the shelter. I gave her up almost three weeks ago in order to pursue an opportunity in Southern California that didn't materialize.


I first met Lexi at the Animal Shelter in Clackamas, Oregon. My partner at the time, Ritchie, had never had a dog and he saw how much I loved the two dogs at the house where we rented a room. So, Ritchie took me to the animal shelter to look for a dog that we both could own. There was a little black and white female collie in the very first cage when we entered the adoption area. Right next to her was a female pit bull that gave a loud bark when I first look at her. There was no way I was going to choose a pit bull when Ritchie had no experience with dogs, and I wasn't even sure I would know what to do with such a notorious breed. I had never had a pit, and so we settled on the collie.


Our dog had to stay at the shelter for another week, so she could be spayed. But after that she would be coming home with us. While we were waiting for her, we gave our new dog a name, Lexi. Ritchie wanted to call her Alexis, but I insisted that Lexi sounded better. We got a call one day on Ritchie's cell phone, while we were shopping for groceries. It was the shelter and our new dog had died on the operating table. We both were bummed. The shelter said that since we had paid and already been approved for a dog, all we needed to do was return to the shelter and pick out any of the other dogs that were available.


I wasn't sure about a shelter that would lose a dog on the operating table, but they assured us that this had only happened once in the last twenty years and that it was probably because of some underlying illness that the dog had. That's great, I thought, blame the dog. Well, we decided to go back and see if we could find another dog. We looked at every dog in the shelter and none of them were a good fit. They were either too old or too high strung or just plain too ugly.


We were ready to leave disappointed at having spent our money and time with nothing to show for it, when I decided to take another look at the pit bull who was still sitting in the cage next to where our collie had been. I looked down at this forty-five pound pit, and this time I didn't feel so scared of her. Somehow she knew not to bark at me, and I simply thought: what would it hurt to take her out and get a closer look at her.


They took us to a room where potential owners can spend some time interacting with their chosen dog. I sat down in a chair at one end of the room while Ritchie stood at the other end, and we talked about being unsure around a pit bull. I had images of pit bull attacks that I had seen in the news and told Ritchie that we would simply see what happened, and that if either of us was the slightest bit uncertain we wouldn't get her.


When the attendant brought the dog in and let her off the leash, the little pity walked right to me and jumped up, placing her front paws on top of my lap and started licking my face. I was nervous and thrilled at the same time. Was she going to bite? I didn't know. But her tail was wagging and she had the most happy look on her face. I was sucked in before I knew it, and all I could feel coming from this little dog was love. The fact that she was a pit melted away, as she ran back and forth across the room kissing and playing with both of us.


We chose her right away, or should I say, she chose us. When it came to a name, I still liked the name Lexi. Ritchie had other suggestions, but I stuck to my guns and Lexi became my very first pit bull, and eventually she would become the best dog I ever owned or had the privilege of knowing. I miss her today, as I sit her thinking of her. I know she is in a new home and off the streets. I pray that her new owner is busy spoiling her and treating her like the little queen of dogs that she is.