My Dog Ate Your Handbag

Oh, the horror. Can you even imagine how I felt?

This is what happened. My daughter and I have a love of handbags. If you don't share the love, you won't even begin to understand what I am writing about. You have to genuinely love handbags, and not just any old handbag--I'm talking designer bags. You know, the good stuff. Why I have this affliction is beyond me. My mother doesn't have it (although she does like purses), and she doesn't care about the designer aspect. My daughter and I, though — well, we are lost in handbag designer heaven. Or hell?

So, as any mother and daughter sometimes do, we decided it might be fun to swap a couple of our bags for a few months and see if we like each other's purses before investing in another handbag. Brilliant idea! As we traded, I set her handbag on my puppy's crate for later use and walked away. And that's when it happened. We had left for a few hours of shopping and fun, and when I returned home, I realized that my little dog had jumped up, grabbed my daughter's handbag, and chewed the tabs on either end of the zipper, as well as a couple of other areas. I was devastated. How could that have happened? She'd never gotten anything off her crate before. Was she even tall enough to reach?

I knew that I would eventually have to fess up to my daughter. So, with sweaty palms, I told her what happened. I also told her to send it to the store for repair, and that I, of course, would pay for the damages. Which came to $425. Gulp. I couldn't believe it. So today I mailed her a check, and hopefully, before long, she'll have her handbag returned to her, good as new.

I guess the reason I am writing about this is twofold. One, puppies are crazy and will destroy many items if left unattended.  Even if they are attended to, they sometimes manage to damage our things (or treasures) right under our noses.  I think of myself as being a darn good dog mom. I obedience train, crate, leash, and socialize my dog, etc. However, sometimes stuff just happens. And two, things are things. I want to always remember that. Things are nothing more than things. This little puppy of mine brings me more joy than I can put into words. She makes me happy. I smile when she walks into a room. She's silly and clumsy and loving all at the same time. And what's a handbag anyway?  They can be replaced (or, in my case, repaired), whereas my little puppy?  Well, now that would be a horrific thought.

So, as I mailed the check to my daughter today, I kissed the money goodbye, gave my puppy a hug, and let bygones be bygones. I will, however, keep her crate clear of any valuables.

I learned a hard lesson. And I'm OK with that. Lessons learned have value and are sometimes costly, but they are never worthless. Mine aren't anyway. However, next time I hope they aren't so expensive, right?

No, no, bad dog!