Future Rescue worker

I don't intentionally eavesdrop on my next door neighbor.  In my defense, their 5 year old daughter really does talk loud so it's almost impossible not to overhear her conversations.  I also know that most of what is going to come out of her mouth is going to make me smile, so to be honest, I don't avoid listening either.

Recent activity has led me to believe that this sweet little girl might end up running an animal rescue group or an animal shelter one day.  She seems to really have the process down already.  I'll hear her asking her mom "Would you like a dog?  I have many you can choose from.  Do you want a Lab or a Chihuahua?"  (Her "rescue group" seems to help mostly Labs and Chihuahuas).  "What color do you want?" (and then she'll list off all the available colors . . . black and tan, black and white, solid black, brown, etc).  Her mom will graciously make her selection and then I'll hear her say, "Ok, stay right there, I am going to go get your new dog for you.  I think you are going to be very happy together."

They've been playing this "game" a lot lately and it just tickles me.  The other day, the little girl could see me through the crack in the fence between our yards and she yelled, "Maureen, do you want to see one of my chihuahuas?"  I said I'd love to, and put my face up by the crack in the fence.  She was holding up a plastic dog that was as big as a real chihuahua.  I told her I thought he looked like a really nice dog and she said, "I know, all of my dogs are really nice."  She hasn't asked me yet if I would like to adopt one but I have a feeling she may ask sometime soon.

It reminds me of a game that my friends and I played when we were little.  We pretended that we ran a Hilton Hotel that was only for people looking for a place to stay with their pets.  I have no idea where the idea came from but my parents were very supportive.  My dad gave us a phone to use (that of course was not plugged in) so we could take the calls that were coming in and my mom gave us index cards and a little recipe holder to keep track of the reservations.  We would even pretend to get calls from people who didn't have pets and we would tell them they should call another hotel, as our hotel was only for people who wanted to travel with their cats and dogs.

Many years ago, when I first heard about hotels that allowed pets, I was so excited.  I decided there must have been some other kids playing that same game when they were young and I was thrilled to know they finally made it a reality.  It makes you wonder how much we really do know when we are little about what path our lives will take when we get older.

The wonderful thing about my darling little next door neighbor is that even though she has all those dogs she is finding homes for, she still makes time for her "real" dog, Cricket.  The other day, I heard her say, "Cricket, do you want to go watch a movie together?" and then I heard her say a little louder, "Cricket, I am talking to you!  Do you want to go watch a movie together?"  He must have said yes, because I heard them both go inside and heard the sliding glass door close.  I hope Cricket enjoyed the movie but I am sure he was mostly happy just to be invited to join her.