My Sweet Sweetness Bernice

Look at that face!

I told myself before I moved out of the United States that I wouldn’t blog about my dog, Bernice, until I could write that she was with me. I would put a photo of us happy and together.  Unfortunately, being reunited with my little girl didn’t come as quickly as I was expecting, and enough people started asking me where she was that I felt I could no longer ignore the inevitable update post.

I want to start by saying Bernice is my daughter.  I don’t know what it’s like to have a human child, but Bernice is the closest thing I can imagine. I didn’t have any family in Austin, and I lived alone. Bernice was my one super loving constant. Friends, boyfriends, jobs, people, acquaintances, money, apartments, everything always changed. But no matter where I went, who I was with or what I was feeling, I had my goofy girl Bernice.

People used to tell me that getting a dog would be more of a burden, being single and always busy, a dog would be too big of a responsibility. But it was the opposite, and having responsibility is a good thing. I would choose not to do anything I couldn’t bring my Bernice to. When I had to work, she got to play at a babysitters house. By far the best decision I ever made in my life so far was getting Bernice. So as you can imagine, leaving her was a hard thing to do…

BUT I told myself, people have to leave their children all the time.  It can’t be easy for them, but they do it… So I convinced myself Bernice would be okay without me for a little bit. As much of an adventure for me as it would be for her. And I was right, this little dog is so happy with my parents.  I skype and get videos sent to me of what she’s doing… I’m sad, but she’s in happy land. She has 2 other dogs to harass at all times and she gets to play in the snow with a nice big yard every day. Snow being her new found toy. (And Minnesota doesn’t appear to be getting rid of it anytime soon?!)

So why hasn’t she come to Dubai yet?  I would bring her tomorrow if it was up to me. I wouldn’t wait. But I’m trying to decide what’s best for her. I want her to travel as little as possible, so I want to make sure I’ll be in Dubai long enough to make her travel worth it. Which for me means, I need to find a job I can picture myself in for a while… Then I need to get a place to stay I can see my sweet Bernice comfortable in, after that, I’ll bring her. It could be a month, it could be the end of the year. I have to think about what’s best for this little creature and go from there.

But don’t anyone worry. We’ll be reunited eventually.. And I’ll annoyingly ask to bring her everywhere I go….  Attend dog parks far too often… And baby my Bernice embarrassingly in front of people again in the future. And I can’t wait for the day I can tell you about it 🙂

PS. My parents probably hate that they are long term babysitters, but what would we do without them!?!