First's in Life

You know you have many first in life. Some you remember, some only others remember. Some you remember with fond memories, while others you would like to forget.

• There is your first tooth
• first steps
• first birthday
• first pet
• first job
• first vacation
• first day of school
• first car
• first surgery
• first kiss
• first child

Today I can add another first to my list. My first trip to petsmart. I believe this is a first that I will remember for pretty much the rest of my life. The first tip that this was going to be an interesting experience, was the sight of random strangers and their dogs talking to each other in the parking lot. Strangers that form a kind of bond I've only seen before once. And that was when a Duck & Ducklings chose to cross Main Street in downtown Ephrata. The second thing about Petsmart, is that you can take your pet along into the store with you. Yes, it is a store to buy things for your pet, but is your pet really going to help you pick it out? Inside the store, it was no different than outside. Aisle's were full of Dogs with their people on their leashes...wait, wrong way. Aisle's were full of People with their dogs on their leashes. Everyone exclaimed over each others dog. It was like second grade show & tell, only it was for adults. Extreme amazement at the difference in size between a Chihuahua and a Labradoodle like it was the first day that a labradoodle was bigger than a chihuahua in the history of dogs. And then came the all too answered question of the shopping trip. "So what kind of dog do you have?" After several times I was tempted to tell a half truth and tell them we have a miniature lab, but...we would politely reply in such a sweet tone, "we have a Black Lab/Jack Russel mix." Next came the all too familiar look of shock & surprise on the face of the all to friendly questioner. Followed by the familier response - "That's got to be an interesting mix", and our reply of "Actually he just looks like a miniature lab." Next in line of questioning came how old is he, how long have you had him, house dog I assume?, how is training going? and finally, the favorite part of the conversation - "Well, it was nice meeting you!" ... Oh Yes, we have officially met, I'll be sure to wave when I see you on the road. So, we made it out of petsmart without being accosted by to many friendly pet owners. While I do admit, I am beginning to like our dog to the point of loving it, it is by far not considered to be an official part of the family, and we do not consider spending $200 dollars on him at petsmart to be a necessary part of our existence. Below you can find a picture of our beloved PET "Jack"

*Note to the Reader: At the time of publishing, the writer was in a slightly sarcastic and exaggerated mood. The writer will not be held liable for any exageration of the facts in the post.