The Elegant Cowgirl: The Story Of How I Got My Lottie Joy

HEY ALL! I thought you might like to hear the story of how I got my Lottie Joy.
As you all know, she's my puppy and best friend. So please take a seat and enjoy.

Sometime last summer I decided that I wanted a puppy.

I had never remembered having a puppy, because when we got our dog Echo I was almost four.

So, I set about looking every day on Craigslist for puppies, I only had fifty-three dollars to my name and I was going to use all of it to buy myself a new best friend. I had dreamed all day, and every day about the day I got a puppy. I wanted a Golden Retriever or a Labrador.

One Sunday afternoon our church had a pot luck\nut auction, I was sitting in the front row of seats when my Dad called my name, “Liberty, tell Gary what you’ve been saving up for”

At first, I was confused, I thought a moment then remembered, “Oh! I’m saving up for a puppy”

Gary nodded, “Hmm, what kind of puppy?”

“A Golden Retriever or a Labrador” I had answered.

Gary nodded in reply and I turned my attention back to the nut action.

I bought a few things with some nuts and then we took a break for snacks, I walked

towards the kitchen when my Dad caught me up in a hug, “Gary said he’d look into finding you a puppy”

I couldn’t believe my ears, Did he just say what I thought he said? I thought to myself, then I jumped back into realization, I grinned, “Really?!”

“Yep, he just said he’d look into it though” My Dad answered

I nodded, my belly decided to invite some butterflies making me get all squirmy. I kept giggling to myself, Am I having a dream?

Day’s went by without a word, and I sort of put the thought behind me.

Then one evening my family and I sat around the table eating supper when my Dad’s

phone made noise, I just kept on eating, my Dad stood next to the table with his phone, he looked surprised, then he showed it to my Mom, her eyes popped out of her head and she gasped, “No way?!”

My Dad had a little smirk on his face, then he asked, “Should I tell her?”

Now I was getting curious, I looked at my Dad, he was looking right at me,

“Gary found you a puppy” My Dad had said

I dropped my fork, my hands flew to my face, and without even thinking I started to cry, I had prayed every night and day that God would somehow help my get a puppy, and here it was, I was going to get a puppy.

My Mom took me into a hug and I cried some more, my Mom laughed, “Look, you’re making me cry”

I was so excited I couldn’t even finish supper without shaking.

After supper I called my best friend Damara to tell her the news, while I told her I jumped up and down and squealed like a little girl.

Then it so happened that the puppy I was going to get Gary had backed out, He had asked questions and found out that the puppy had just healed from an ear injury and the father was obese, but he had found a different one and I wouldn’t get her until, February third. I was a little bit disappointed because my sister Felicity would be gone, moved away to New Hampshire and she wouldn’t be able to see my puppy.

Then after what felt like an eternity, the day came that I was going to get her, but the dog breeder never called Gary, so I got settled down to wait again.

The next day was Sunday, Damara had spent the night and we got ready to got to church, I packed a bag of clothes and stuffed the collar I had bought for my puppy into the bag, I turned to Damara, “Just in case they bring her to church” Damara nodded in reply.

So, off we go to church. After a while we got there and went inside, Damara and I were sitting on our bench when Sandy, Gary’s wife came up to me, “You need to come with me”

I jumped up and followed, we went out to the parking lot and there she was, a little yellow lab, I almost melted into a puddle, I walked over and picked her up, I had gotten my puppy, I slipped the collar on her, and here was my Lottie Joy.