Cold outside, Puppies Inside

Five years ago I asked for a "purse dog" to keep me company in the house and while I was driving around doing "mom things"! The girls and I shopped and shopped for this pup. We went to pet stores, adoption centers, humane societies, shelters and any other place that was rumored to have baby dogs. Finally, on a beautiful Sunday at the local PetCo, Baby Girl and I found him. He was adorable. His whole body was just a little bigger than my hands. His head was soft and smelled like puppy. We called Hubby and Sweet Girl to come check him out. Hubby held a little black paw in his hand and asked the Foster dad, "How big do you think he'll get?" Foster said (straightfaced) "No more than 20 pounds." Hubby said, "Sure!" The girls and I were oblivious to his wicked grin as we loved on our new baby.
We had a family meeting to choose a name, Joe. We (the girls and I) shopped carefully for a very great collar and leash set. Pup got a new crate. Outfits were purchased. Everywhere that I went, Joe went too. If it rained, Joe wore his rain coat and little yellow boots. If it was cold, he wore his red sweater. He wore his navy blue blazer with brass buttons when we went to the funeral for my beloved Great Aunt. He sat quietly in the car during the funeral. I knew it would be very confusing to a puppy to see lots of green grass and be unable to play!
The first months raced by and we noticed that Joe was outgrowing his awesome wardrobe. His seat belt wasn't big enough anymore. His collar had no more holes to move the hook into. The vet, who had agreed with the Foster, was surprised that Joe weighed 30 pounds. He was really shocked a little bit later when Joe weighed 45 pounds. By the time Christmas rolled around, Joe didn't have a wardrobe anymore. He had a pretty, extra large, purple collar and a matching leash. His seat belt was the largest that PetCo sold. When he visited the vet, he weighed in at 86.4 pounds!
He finally realized that he was bigger than our other dog, Wymberly, and decided that he wanted to stay outside with her more often than he wanted to stay inside, or go off, with me. I was pretty sad. There went my purse dog... Or so I thought!
When Joe comes inside, he likes to sit in the chair with me. Not on the couch that is designed to hold multiple people, but in the single adult size chair. He also likes to snuggle up close and share my pillow. His very favorite spot is curled up in my lap, all 85+ pounds of him.
The temperatures have dropped below freezing again, so I guess I get to enjoy another night of snuggling with my sweet purse puppy. Since my girls don't like snuggling, I will appreciate my pup who does!