How does he even have hair left on his body?

I shared a little while ago about the new, rescued, Border Collie addition to our family, Trooper.

Since that time, there has been Obedience Training.

And quiet time.

There’s been family walks.

 And furniture that now looks far more ‘lived in’ than it did before.

But so far, we’ve started the adjustment to life with a dog.

And so has Dh.

Because here’s the truth – Dh doesn’t really like pets.

Not his.  Not other people’s.  He likes animals, don’t get me wrong.  But not enough that he’s ever been willing to put up with any possible inconveniences caused by them.

Not shedding, barking, puking, accidents, jumping, scratching, or any and all costs associated with an animal he is responsible for. 
He’s never had a desire to have a dog. 
Never a willingness to deal with any aspect of owning an animal. 
Never an attachment to one.

I was actually a little worried about how much he might dislike Trooper when we agreed to get him.

But so far….. so far he’s shocked not only me, but his sister who was just here visiting with how much he LIKES this dog.
He does things to help him.
He goes out of his way to make sure he’s looked after.
He…. cares.
This, my friends, says a lot.
But I didn’t know what it meant, I was just happy it happened.

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned here that while Dh and I were talking on vacation, we both spoke up. 
He told me some of his dreams for me, and I did the same for him.

You heard his.  And I’m working on them.  I really am.

But I had some thought for him, too.

It’s been a long 13 years.

Dh never complains.  Especially about work, family time or the pace
of life.
He is the quiet acceptance to my fight-with-all-we’ve-got
reluctance.  
And he certainly absolutely never would say, ever that he deserved any kind of recognition or support for anything.  Ever.
Ever.

But let’s face it, deployments this last decade have been frequent.  Dh went from one to another, throwing courses, exercises, disaster relief and all the rest into the mix.
He left for Basic Training when most people would leave for college and turned 21 less than a week after he returned from his first trip to Afghanistan.
He’s experienced far more than most.  He’s had little time to rest.  And the down time he’s had, he’s had 3 kids and life at home that hasn’t given him a lot of old fashion blowing off steam time.  

And well, this new posting isn’t all home time and relaxation.  There’s still Immediate Reaction and 12 Hours Notice and the odd exercise and deployment thrown in, I’m sure.

But there seems to be a little more breathing space.  A little more time to look around and say:

Wow.  
Some of the last decade really….. sucked.

I just….. I hoped that he would get to the place where he could let himself say that.  
 That he’s right, it is a blessing that he’s made it home without injury, physical or emotional.
But that’s doesn’t mean he doesn’t get to say it’s been a long road, or accept that he’s a stronger person for it and it’s ok to own up to that without sounding like he’s bragging, whining or drawing attention to himself.
Because he really, really hates drawing attention to himself.

He told me he wanted me to see myself the way he sees me.

I want the same for him.

He’s my hero for a reason, and it’s not just because of how fine he looks in Combats.

 Last week, when we were heading out the door, out of the blue he said:

“I saw a show yesterday about how they use dogs for returning soldiers.  How the dogs help them unwind and relax.  Dogs can be really good for those guys that need that.’

And I said ‘I’ve heard that.’

And after a few moments of silence, he said

‘I’m really glad we have Trooper.’

And then he doubled back to the house to turn on itunes so the dog wouldn’t whine in his kennel while we were gone.

And that, my friends, might be the closest I see. 
I’ll take it.

It’s also the reason I will whine slightly less than I normally would as I sweep up enough hair to clothe a shitzu every. single. day.

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