Back in the Saddle

Last March we had to say goodbye to our "Sammy Girl". At that time, I thought it would be a long, long time before I was ready for another dog. The pain of losing an animal is something I didn't want to face again. I didn't think my heart could take that.

Fast forward to this past Wednesday. That's when "Thunder" wandered into our yard. Thunder is just the opposite of any dog I'd ever thought I'd own. He's little, he has long hair, and he's, well, a "he". Despite all this, I became attached immediately. It's not a good idea to become attached to a dog that is not yours. This is what I kept reminding Hope as we were hanging up "Found Dog" signs in the neighborhood. We talked about how Thunder's family was probably very sad because they couldn't find him and how he probably missed them too. I must not have been listening to my own words, because I got a pit in my stomach everytime the phone would ring, thinking it was his owner calling to claim him. I didn't want him to leave. Hope had come up with her "best case scenario" in her little 7 year old mind: "Mom, I know his owners are worried, so I hope we find them. But when they come to pick him up, I wish they would just decide to let us keep him". I told her that I agreed, but prepared her that that's not something that would happen.

Well, guess what???? Hope's wish came true - that's exactly what happened! His owner called after 2 days - she had gotten our information from our "found report" at the Humane Society. When she realized how sad we were to see him go, she decided he would get more attention here and would love to live with a family with kids. Tears filled both our eyes as we discussed it. I felt guilty accepting her offer, but I do know we will be a good family for this little guy. Meet Thunder:

Yes, this is second dog we found we found in one week. I didn't have such an immediate attachment to Hot Carl. He did serve his purpose, though. He got me thinking about another dog. He may have opened up my heart just enough to make room for another dog. I think God was trying to tell us that we were ready!