A tale of two puppies

Meet Pup. And Pup.

When Sam was a baby, he was given the doggy on the right, a "Ty Plushies" animal named "Puppers." For many years, he was just another one of the many stuffed animals that Sam (and later Julia and Josiah) have enjoyed playing with. And trust me, they have a LOT of stuffed animals, and they do love playing with all of them at various times! But over the past year or so, this one has become a favorite of both Sam and Julia. His name started out as "Dog" or "Doggy" and later was changed to "Rosie" (after we dog-sat a yellow lab of the same name for a week), and still later, to "Pup." I thought it was amusing that the kids came up with that name on their own, without any clue that the dog's original name had been "Puppers."

Anyway, Sam has done pretty well about sharing Pup with Julia, even letting her take him to bed quite often. The problem with this was that Julia got rather attached to Pup, and occasional fights would ensue over this treasured possession. A while back, I thought about getting her a duplicate dog, but when I checked them out online, I discovered that "Puppers" is now retired . . . which equals $$$. Like $40-ish. So I quickly scrapped that idea. Then last week, I decided on a whim to check Ebay again. Lo and behold, I found a few that were on the "cheaper" side--more like $20. There was one in gently used condition with a buy it now price of $17.99 and only a couple bucks shipping. Julia had some money left from Christmas, so I asked her if she would like to use it to buy her very own Pup. She was tickled pink at the idea, as I thought she would be! Yes, it's still a LOT to spend on a stuffed animal, but it was her own money and I think it was worth it for the genuine delight this little guy will bring to her. :)

We ordered the "new" Pup on Thursday night, it was shipped Friday, and arrived today. Ever since Friday, Julia has been asking if Pup is going to be in the mailbox every day. I was pleasantly surprised that he came this fast! She went down to the mailbox with me today, and was overjoyed when we saw the puffy package in there. She squealed to Sam as soon as we came in the door, "I think it's my own very-est Pup!!!"
After Pup had been duly admired (and given a tour by the other Pup), both Pups jumped into the washing machine for a bath. Then into the drier for a spin . . . and finally out into loving arms. Both Pups are thrilled to have a new "best friend" (each other), and as for their owners . . . well, I think their faces say it all. :) How nice it was to tuck the kids in tonight, with their own Pups snuggled beside them. It's been a happy day at our house!

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.