Gateway Animal

"They" always say that there are different gateway drugs and eventually you end up on the side of the road begging for change - just because you wanted to try something once. What "they" never tell you is that there are gateway animals.

I received my first gateway animal almost 4? years ago from my kind hearted mother in law - my MIL. She has a huge heart for animals - a heart at one point in time that netted her 7 cats, 2 dogs and a rabbit - her husband - my FIL - is more pragmatic and when she found a sweet, tiny little black cat in her garage she naturally wanted to provide a home for her. However, my FIL had to draw a hard line - the animal or him... so she had to find another bleeding heart to adopt this kitten - she looked all around and all she found was me - at the time I was entering into my 6th? year of dating her son and she knew the kitten was small and cute and they could squeeze me and sucker me into adopting the kitten - it worked.

Now mind you - never in all my 25 years of life had I ever thought I wanted a animal but here I was the proud owner of a small black cat that was named Kelly Black Wampler McNabb - funny side not - I either cal her Kelly or her entire name - if you read something about a Kelly Black it won't even register with me that it is the same name. It helps cut down on monogramming since it would cost a arm and a leg to put that moniker on anything!

She is sassy, wears a rhinestone collar and doesn't take any crap from anyone and she was more than enough animal for me and I didn't need anything more - until I got engaged....... the same boy I'd been in love with for forever started talking about how cook Akitas were and wouldn't it be so awesome to have a big dog.. One thing you must know is that I am a action person - if there is something that I want to do and it is within my tiny, tippy toes reach - I'm going for it baby! My hubby - he is more of a philosopher and really evaluates options before making decisions........ So..... We got engaged in January and had a wedding planned in 4 months - that May - seriously I'm a fast mover when I see what I want! All these angles put the wheels of fate in motion

In March I went out with a friend for lunch and got margarita's - we are in Texas after all - and on the way home I saw a sign for Akita puppies for sale in the parking lot of a Kroger - I begged my friend to U-Turn and pull over and she did. What I saw weren't huge man killing dogs - what I saw was two adorable, fluffy 9 pound puppies - I immediately called my fiance and said leave work quick there are Akita's for sale on the side of the road and I wanna get one for you. He said alright I'll be there.

I played with the puppies and picked out the one I thought I liked and waited and waited, by then the margarita buzz wore off but the puppies were cute and i was there with my animal loving friend who wanted me to get one so she could play with them too...... Well level headed, rational fiance finally came and saw the puppies and since he's a bleeding heart animal lover too - guess what he said - we'll take not one but TWO!!! After all - how could we leave one behind?!

So there I was - with no buzz, decidedly less money in my bank account, in the middle of planning a wedding and the proud new owner of two cute cuddly, adorable Akita sisters. We each got to name one - I choose Isabella cause she looked like the dog from Beethoven, but once I got to know her better that was waaayyyy too much of a name for her so we shortened it to Bella. And hubby - he picked Bear - the most controversial name choice since she's a girl..... many a family and friend tried to rename her Beara - or Berry .... but it was a no go - Bear and Bella and Kelly Black Wampler McNabb.

My simple world of one had grown to two, and now 5! Gateway animals will get you every time!

And that dear friends is how our family grew, and grew and grew!!!