My first child

My first child has been through quite a bit with me. We've gone through some tough times together, not knowing life would take us to far off places like Maine and Boston. We have a lot of history together. This sweet child is loving, loyal and these days - he needs my personal care and attention.

I adopted Roscoe from the pound in Ruston when I was a junior at Louisiana Tech. Everyone told me adopting a puppy while I was in college was not a good idea. I didn't listen. I wanted one, so I got one. True, it wasn't the smartest idea because animals cost a lot of money to maintain. They need a lot of attention, space to run and play. But I wasn't listening to them. I adopted him anyway and he has been with me every since. That was 12 years ago.

Since then, he was taken the journey to Maine with me. He rode in the back seat of my white Camry (which I also still have) for three days to get there. Each night on that long drive, I snuck him into hotel rooms. That's extremely difficult when you have a dog that is scared of tile floors. At one hotel, he yelped SO loud about walking on tile that I thought we were going to get busted!

It was not easy having him in Maine. Finding a landlord that will allow a 100 pound dog to live in an apartment was a challenge. At one point, I thought I was going to have to give him away because he kept getting lose from the runner in the backyard of one place I lived. So to find him a new home, I put an ad in the paper and a family came to meet him and wanted to "test" him for a weekend to see how well he would manage in their home. I cried my eyes out and decided to keep him, no matter what.

When we moved back to the south, he spent another three days in the car with me. Chris has learned to love him... but not nearly as much as I do. Chris is more of a cat person. But I think Roscoe has found a special place in Chris' heart.

So Chris, Roscoe and I became a family and lived in Texas for several years together. In that time, Roscoe had two surgeries and many health issues, but since he was our only baby - we did whatever it took and spent whatever was necessary to make him better. Shortly after Kennedy was born - I decided to make Roscoe an outside dog. He has spent some time inside, but not much. I didn't want Kennedy to crawl around in dog hair and I also really felt like I was protecting her. Roscoe has never bitten anyone, but I was an EXTREMELY overprotective first-time mom. Everything had to be perfect with regards to Kennedy... and that meant no animals in the house. If you know me very well, then you know I have an obsessive personality. I'm very particular about some things. I have a tendency to be "anal." (Sorry, I know that's not PG-rated, but I can't think of another way to describe it!). Anyway, I am trying to break those tendencies. Some days are easier than others.

Since the time that Roscoe moved outside, Kennedy has developed a severe phobia to animals. And over the past few years, Roscoe's health has deteriorated quite a bit. Being 12 years old (84 in human years) means he's slow moving and pretty sedentary. When we moved into our new house in October, we set up a kennel and dog house for him and recently we put a tarp over it for shade. But even with those measures, he looked miserable.

So the LaPierre family is taking on a new adventure. Despite Kennedy's panic attacks around Roscoe, I decided that Roscoe needs to come live inside the house with us. (Notice I said "I decided." I don't think Chris is as happy about this as I am.) I don't want Kennedy to scream bloody murder every time she comes in contact with an animal. And I don't want to lose Roscoe in the next few years. My predictions? Roscoe will be the happiest dog on the planet. Kennedy will be a very unhappy little girl .... but only for a few days.

PLEASE FOLKS - don't think I am torturing my daughter on purpose! 99% of her screaming fits are PURE DIVA. When we lived in our rent house, we had to bring Roscoe inside for a few weeks because of the severe rainstorms last spring. The rent house was HALF the size of our current house. The first few days, Kennedy avoided him like the plague... but after that, she calmed down and learned that he wasn't going to attack her; he wasn't going to bite her; he just wanted to be near us all. Dogs need love, too.

So this morning, I packed up Roscoe in the Camry (which brought back so many memories of our trip to Maine together) and we headed to the vet for our annual vaccines and check up.


I hadn't planned on bringing Roscoe inside until this weekend after his appointment at PetSmart for a good washing and shave. After those appointments, he always smells SO good and is very soft and clean from the shave. But after his appointment today, I decided (notice "I decided" again - didn't really consult with Chris on this one.. sorry honey!) that he needed to come in the house today. Besides the fact that the temperature is supposed to reach 100 degrees today, he had a battery of tests run and I was notified that he has heart worms. On top of that, his thyroid levels are low again and will need to be on daily medication. His arthritis is getting worse, so another daily medication. And his chronic ear infections have turned into a yeast infection. You don't want to know how much the vet bill was.

I told Dr. Lasiter that I was planning to bring Roscoe inside and he thought that was a great idea. He said that if he moves inside and is nursed back to good health - he could probably live another 2 to 3 years.

I cried.

Two to three years? That's all the time I have left?

And thus - Roscoe is inside... TODAY. He was extremely confused when I brought him inside after the vet appointment. When I called him to come inside with me, he stopped and stood in the doorway because normally, that's as far as he is allowed to go.

But when I looked at my sweet dog with tears in my eyes and told him, "Come on buddy.... come in" - he slowly stepped into the laundry room anticipating that I would "shoo" him back out. He doesn't smell the best, but I wiped him down with baby wipes, filled his water bowl, gave him his medicine. And after a few minutes of checking out his new digs, he made himself at home.

Chris e-mailed me just a few minutes ago and told me that Roscoe is doing well and other than a quick water break, he has been sleeping for the past several hours. He is probably enjoying the air conditioning! I have been pretty emotional about him today because of his vet visit. I imagine that will fade the minute Kennedy sees that he's in the house when she comes home from school.....

Pets are family members and while I temporarily lost sight of that, I know now that Roscoe belongs inside with us.... and really, with me. I have had him longer than I have had kids... and longer than I've known Chris! Roscoe really is my oldest child.