Truth in Advertising

Posted on by tracykard

We celebrated the first anniversary of Rupert’s Adoption Day last week. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t send a card. I can see how you might forget about the existence of a 71-pound dog if you weren’t living with him every day. Besides, I’m not sure if Hallmark even covers this specific occasion, so you probably would’ve had to buy us a Sorry For Your Loss card and included a picture of our armchair he ate. Or a Thank You card that expressed how grateful you are that we adopted Rupert and you didn’t. Or maybe one of those cards that has a slot for cash but instead of money you could’ve included a bunch of those disposable mopping pads we use whenever guests come over and he excitedly pees on our floors. That would’ve been nice.

But I digress.

Adopting Rupert was one of the best family decisions we made last year. Sure, we thought he would’ve outgrown a few of his eccentricities by now, but we can’t deny we weren’t warned. The original ad from the shelter said he was “energetic” and he “tinkled a little when happy.” It was all right there in his marking brochure.  

To be fair, life likely hasn’t turned out exactly how Rupert had imagined, either. As far as I know, he didn’t get to peruse through the list of hopeful adopters and filter out potential mismatches, like people who raucously snore at night and only buy non-edible furniture and are sometimes a little gassy, for example. He just had to gather up all his belongings (a stuffed toy duck) and move in with us. No questions asked.

So, could Rupert’s domestication have gone better? Perhaps, but I’ve watched enough nature documentaries and Jurassic Park movies to know they certainly could’ve gone worse. The dog is a spirited, dribbly mass of joy and we adore him unconditionally. And though he hasn’t yet admitted it, I believe he feels the same.

And that’s worth celebrating.

Oh, and if you did buy us a card but forgot to mail it, feel free to stop over and personally drop it off any time. Just don’t wear your nice shoes.

32 thoughts on “Truth in Advertising”

  1. Oh, my! That photo says it all. And your post convinces me that the Stones were right, “You can’t always get what you want, but … you get what you need.” Congrats to all on one year of a custom-made union. The card’s in the mail.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Good luck! I believe Rupert is going to be a really great dog someday. My wife is much less sure, though, and keeps referring to him as a “medium” dog, which is a pretty fair assessment right now.

    Like

  7. Reblogged this on Mitch Teemley and commented:
    My Featured Blogger this week is Tracy Kard of Eating My Way to the Top. If you’ve never experienced Tracy’s cuddly sarcastically sentimental (sarcastimental?) humor, you’re in for a treat. So, do want a treat? Yes, you do! Who’s a good blog reader? You are! Yes, you are!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. I love this! My hubby and I share our home with 3 rescue dogs. So far, we haven’t lost any furniture. They have only eaten some comforters, a couple of blankets, and a pillow. Because yeah, they sleep on our bed 😀

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Well, it was like this. I was on my way to becoming a crazy cat lady when I married my dear hubby and learned that he is severely allergic to cats. I decided to keep the hubby. Then we started finding these poor abandoned dogs out on the highway. We have a 20 pound poodle with a lick tick, an 80 pound mystery mix who thinks she is a lap dog, and a 40 pound Australian Cattle dog who is more Dingo than dog. FUN FUN FUN!!!

        Liked by 1 person

  13. So glad Mitch sent us your way. Can’t wait to show your delightfully funny post to our son and his family, who also adopted a large, super-energetic, A.D.D. female dog nearly two years ago. She’s hasn’t destroyed a chair though–yet! Love the way you thoughtfully considered the adoption from Rupert’s point of view, especially since he’s proven himself . . . a bit challenging!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Congratulations! He looks so much like our Ruby who chose to come home with us from the shelter last July (still time to send a card LOL!). We have found her to be the perfect addition to our family – our furniture is all still intact, but she likes to chew up sticks all over the yard and in the house if we would allow it.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. I’ve wandered over here via Mitch Teemley. I love your dog story, but, being an Aussie, when I first saw the heading “Truth in Advertising”, and, “let’s celebrate Rupert’s adoption” – I thought it would be a story about media king Rupert Murdoch 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Well, I wouldn’t fight you to take him back – I’d rather have your lovely dog (who can resist that expression?). And I have been thinking about changing my easy-chair. Does your Rupert like red upholstery particularly?

        Did you see RM is marrying again? This is #5. Some wag on the radio here said it is like a game of “pass the parcel” – with the last one holding the will saying, “Oh! What a surprise! It’s meeeeee”.

        Liked by 1 person

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