A Boy and His Dog

While on vacation Brogan bought a puppy.

Not a real puppy, of course. I'm not that crazy.

Brogan has been asking for a pet for a long time. At first, he'd talk about how nice it would be to have a dog. Then, later, casually mention that a cat would be nice. He suggests birds, fish, lizards, and hamsters.

While on vacation we wandered in to a Build-A-Bear Workshop. We've never been there and, at the suggestion of Mrs. M., we ventured in. What a cute place! We had so much fun looking at all the styles of stuffed animals and all the clothes one could buy for them. We watched a little girl help stuff her bear and give him a heart.

All of the boys would've been happy to leave with a bear, but it was Brogan who looked at the bins of stuffed animals with longing in his eyes.

He wants a pet so badly, and we can't give him one (one son has animal allergies). Braden and Colson have special "comfort items" that they sleep with, but Brogan does not. So, after a quick conference with Braden, I told Brogan he could pick out a special stuffed animal.

His eyes lit up and he took his time searching for just the right puppy. The kindly woman who helped him stuff his new friend helped make this a special experience. Brogan then carefully washed and brushed his puppy, and looked over ALL the clothes to find just the right outfit.

When it came time to pick a name, I commented that he was a "Brown Sugar Puppy" according to the label. Maybe we could pick a name similar to that, like "Brownie" or "Sugar." Brogan had his own ideas, and said in a decisive tone, "His name is Hubert."

OK.

Hubert.

On Hubert's first night with us, Brogan took him to Grandma and Grandpa's house to show them. On the way home, they fell asleep together in the car.



In the past two weeks, Brogan and Hubert have become the best of friends and a special part of Brogan's life.