"Babe... Jamie... wake up" Eddie whispered as she poked the side of his face.
"Hm?"
"Wake up."
Jamie rolled over and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand.
"Ed... it's 5:30 in the morning. They're not even open yet."
"I know but I'm so excited!"
This was the first weekend that Jamie and Eddie both had time off in awhile. It had been a crazy couple of weeks at the 29 precinct but things were thankfully starting to slow down. They had just celebrated their first wedding anniversary with a late night dinner at Dellaroccos and a promise from Jamie to visit Happy Paws to find their first dog. Eddie had been making a few subtle hints to him about getting a dog for awhile so she was delighted when he told her of her anniversary present.
"Come on." He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down to lay beside him. "Let's sleep until 7:00 and then we can get up, eat breakfast, and go."
"What do you think about Nala for a girl?" Eddie replied as she ignored him.
"Not a fan" he mumbled into her neck.
"I was thinking about a German Shepard but I think he would grow way too big for our apartment. Cocker Spaniels are pretty. Maybe a pug? Pomeranians are really cute. I've been leaning towards a beagle but I'm not very sure..."
Jamie fell into a light doze as he listened to Eddie chatter away.
Happy Paws opened at 8:30 and was only a 15 minute walk from their Brooklyn Heights apartment. With Eddie's persistence, they left the apartment around 8:15 to arrive at Happy Paws at precisely 8:30. If it would have been Eddie's choice, they would have set up camp right in front of the store the night before.
"So... I was thinking about a chihuahua. Wouldn't that be cool?" Eddie said with a smirk as they were waiting around in front of the store for them to open.
"Um no! Goodness no Janko! You know my history with those!" Eddie threw her head back in laughter.
Jamie and the chihuahua breed had a bad history. On one of their days off in the early days of their engagement, they had decided to go on a run that led them around Hillside Dog Park. Jamie, ever the dog whisperer, had insisted on going inside and interacting with some of the dogs. The first dog they encountered was a six year old chihuahua named Fernanda. At first glance, she looked like a sweet, innocent happy dog but she was very protective of her humans especially her owner. When Fernanda saw Jamie and Eddie speaking with her, she ran up growling and barking at them with emphasis towards Jamie. He tried to calm her by leaning down to pet her but she jumped and nipped at his hand. Her owner apologized profusely but they didn't want to cause anymore trouble so they quickly bid their goodbyes. Fernanda zoned in on her intended target and followed him barking until she was sure that he had left the dog park. Jamie had been skittish about chihuahuas ever since.
"I haven't been the same since babe! Are you done laughing Janko?" Eddie was laughing so hard that her face was red and she was wiping tears.
"Yup... Yeah. I'm done" she said coughing and trying to catch her breath.
She saw an employee about to unlock the door and turn on the open sign.
"Hey look! They're opening. Let's go!" Eddie got up and bolted for the door with Jamie running to catch up.
"Good morning and welcome to Happy Paws! If there is anything I can help you with please let me know." The employee greeted Jamie and Eddie with a bright smile.
"Good morning... David" Eddie said as she looked at his name tag. "We want to adopt a dog."
"Wonderful! Follow me and I'll lead you to them."
Jamie and Eddie followed David to the back of the store into a room of twenty or more dogs. Some of them were intermingling together for playtime.
"We have many different breeds in here. They are all wonderful dogs and will make wonderful family members no matter which one you decide on. Walk around and get to know them. If you have any questions or decide on one please come let me know" he said as he walked out of the room.
"Thank you David. Jamie, there's so many and they're all so cute... let's take them all" she said only half joking.
"Woah Janko. I think one will be plenty."
They spent the next hour walking around looking and playing with the dogs. Some of them were really energetic and playful but they knew that they would be way too confined in their small apartment. None of the dogs they interacted with really called out them.
"Jamie... what about that one?" Eddie spotted a small tri-colored baby beagle laying in the corner of a play pen.
"How are we doing over here guys" David said as he walked back into the room.
"What about her?" Eddie walked over and peered down at the small pup. "She's so tiny."
"She is actually a he. They brought him in a few days ago." David walked over and picked him out of the play pen. "He's only 8 weeks old. An older lady brought him because he was almost ran over."
"Oh poor thing." Eddie slowly ran her fingers over his small head. "Can I hold him?"
"Of course." David slowly handed the pup over to Eddie. "I'll be back" he said with a smile.
"Jamie look at him" she said softly. The small puppy gently nuzzled into Eddie like he was meant to be there all along. Jamie gave a soft smile at the sight of the two of them. Eddie slowly sat down in one of the chairs beside the play pen.
"He's adorable babe. And you look great with him." Jamie crouched down beside the chair and ran his finger over the pup's head.
"I think he's it. He's the one for us." Eddie leaned down and gave the pup a kiss on the top of his head.
"I definitely agree with you there." Jamie leaned up and gave Eddie a kiss on the cheek. "What do you want to name him?"
"Lassie" Eddie said with determination.
"Lassie?! Where did that come from? Wouldn't that be more of a girl's name babe?"
"What? You never watched The New Lassie when you were a kid Reagan? How uncultured. Lassie can work for a boy or a girl!"
"Alright then" Jamie said with a chuckle. "Welcome to our family Lassie."
A big thank you to Haley for the name suggestion!