Love at First Sight or Something Else?

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

We weren't looking for a dog, we were looking for an old, rusty car. A junkyard car. And we found it. It had the parts we needed for my then husband to rebuild an old Chevy or Pontiac or whatever it was at the time. I don't remember the specifics of the car, only that I fell in love with the dog.

He was a scruffy little mutt who ran behind, between, inside and out of the acres of junked vehicles. He followed us as we perused the rows looking for the right year to match the parts my husband needed.

He was black, brown and white, about 30 pounds or so, with medium length fur. And the cutest face you've ever seen. Being the animal lover that I am, I couldn't stand that he lived there in that boneyard. I kept my eye on him during the two hours we walked around. Finally, we found the parts we wanted.

"We'll take this (whatever-thingie-majigy: carburetor or some such thing)," my husband said to the owner.

"That all?" the burly, bearded, dirty man replied.

"No, that's not all," I replied. I swallowed hard and knew my husband needed what he came for, but I needed something too. "We'll take the parts, but only if you throw in the dog."

"Hmmpphhh," the gruff man replied. "Got no use for him anyway. You can have him."

My then husband paid the man and I scooped up the furry creature into my arms. He wiggled a little, and seemed perplexed, but I held on tight. "What's his name?" I asked.

"Don't have much of a name. I call him Muttley," the man replied and pocketed the cash my husband paid him.

"Muttley," I whispered in the car on the way home. The dog sat calmly on my lap and looked up at me with big eyes. "We can do better than that."

"Let's not change it too much," my then husband replied. "We want him to recognize his name when he's called."

"Okay, then let's call him Chumley." And so it was. The best chum and friend I had for many, many years.

And you? How did your first or last pet or any of them in between come into your life? Was it love at first sight? Love over time? Rescue? Found wandering the streets? Helping out a friend? Share YOUR story. We want to know how you fell in love.