Einstein, The Dog Who Chose Me

I have a dog. Most people go to get a dog or puppy and they know they're choosing a dog. But I didn't choose this dog, instead this dog chose me. Much like Oose in Africa, Einstein has for better or worse picked me as his human. To be clear: Einstein actually belongs to my neighbor down the road.

I first met Einstein while I was trying to leave my apartment. He would come over and say hi, I'd pet him, he's wag his tail and then I'd get in my car to go to work. He's possibly a cross between a pit bull and black lab. I'd say about 50 pounds of solid muscle, with a sweet goof ball demeanor. As I was ready to back my car up he would go stand directly behind my car so close that I couldn't see him. I wondered if this dogs name was someones idea of a cruel joke. After about 10 minutes of trying to get this dog to stand somewhere other than directly behind my car I was able to leave.

The next day I noticed him inside the fence of the front yard. How this dog had gotten in I'm not sure. He was playing with my landlords dogs and generally causing them to look at him like he was some sort of annoying young whipper-snapper.

Einstein then while exploring one day found out where I live. I refused to let him in, I went outside and pet him but I didn't want him to think that it was OK to come into my home and pee on something. The next day it was bitter cold, and he was at my door. He gave me the look of 'aren't you going to let me in?' and I caved, I'm not heartless. He is a very respectful dog and I only had to tell him once to get his nose out of the garbage. He snuggled into the corner of my couch and gave me that look that says 'What are we going to do today?!' Well that day was Valentines Day. Lets face it, Valentines Day for the single person is pretty much the kind of day that you want to forget. And so this dog, probably sensing my not-so excited mood, became my Valentine. He snuggled with me and we watched my favorite movie, Almost Famous. About 9pm his owners came to find him. I was so cold the poor guy didn't want to to home.

Since Valentines Day Einstein has made the pilgrimage to my apartment and made sure I was doing well. This winter hasn't gone so well for me, but at around 10am I can expect a visit from my dog. He shovels snow with me, he starts my car with me, he cooks with me, he snuggles with me, every morning he puts a smile on my face. I know that I can't own a dog right now, but I'm very thankful that Einstein has adopted me this winter.