For as long as Jordyn could vocalize the sentiment, she has wanted a dog of her own. My sometimes insecure and anxious granddaughter felt safer and braver when she came to Granny’s house and had one of Granny’s dog sleep with her in her room. Sometimes it would be the little lost Muffy dog that would sleep right up by her head. Always available for a midnight pet or a lick on the face. Sometime she would want Kena to sleep with her -the big Doberman who always insisted on sleeping under the covers. But the one thing that was always the same is she always wanted the dog to sleep with her. 

Every year the request has been the same and so has the answer -no puppies!  The answer has always been the same until now. I don’t really know what changed this year to make Ally and Luke decide that this Christmas Jordyn would get the puppy she always wanted, but I don’t care. I am just so thrilled that they chose to do something that I think it’s going to be so important for Jordyn’s confidence, self-esteem and her capacity for love.

My Denver daughter, Amber, recently got a new puppy too. They chose a wired hair German  pointer. A good dog for Colorado and for kids and a dog that Amber can run with. The puppy is adorable.

But over the years I have certainly sided the poodle way. Granted I had them on the ranch as a kid. But I never expected my house to have two poodles and one at my daughters. But that is the type of family we are now, in fact Lauren counts the days for other dogs to die so she can replace them with different colored poodles. I mean she means them no harm but would love to have the house hold a rainbow of poodles. 

Some of you may agree or disagree with our choice of dog. Just as I might disagree with yours. But for the highly allergic family we are, in the busy robust family activities we engage in, these are perfect dogs. There’s never a moment these dogs don’t want to be with you-playing,  fetching, running and jumping. Plus they fit in perfectly with the horses and even the horse show world.

I was in third grade when I got my first dog that was my own. Jordyn is in fourth. My first dog was with me all the way through my college years and the grief I felt of his passing was enormous.  He was my childhood.  Jordyn has no idea today as she takes on this new life all the memories they will share and all the times they will have. And also the open ears she’ll get from this little Man when she wants to talk about something private that no one else can know about. Poodles tell no secrets.

Today we picked up Jordyn and told her we were going Christmasj shopping. She had no idea where we were headed. Way out in woods past the Renaissance Festival we pulled into a tiny hidden driveway. 

This is how it went down. 

​​ We got inside and Jordyn held the pup and cried. It was good for my soul. 

So for today my heart is open and I am so glad that I can help them to have this wonderful dog that I hope has many, many, many years with them as a family.  As Jacqueline Suzanne once wrote in her book “Every Night Josephine”, no matter how much someone else in your world loves you, be it your parents or your boyfriend, girlfriend or whomever, no one will ever show as much joy when you come home in the evening dancing around jumping up-and-down ignited with love for you than a dog that you love.

Merry, Merry Christmas Jordyn, may Kai be the gift of a lifetime!

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Thanks for riding down this happy road with us!