It's All Gone to the Dogs!

Everyone says it’s summer, but it takes me a moment to realize they're right!  Wow, how life has changed!  My summer used to be all about keeping the kids entertained, but now it’s about going to work, and only baring those glowing white legs in shorts on the weekend while I clean the house and do chores.  I haven’t seen the neighborhood pool in two years.

Don’t cry for me though, a couple of weeks ago I went to Nassau, Bahamas, with the women in my family for a lovely Girl’s Weekend.  This is a tradition that spans well over a decade.  On the first one to New York City, my sister-in-law was pregnant with my niece, and now on this trip,  “almost 16” year old Kayla joined us.  It’s a weekend to enjoy our girliness.  There’s always a spa visit involved, shopping, and a show…this time was Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga…a very interesting choice.

Mom and Stephi share a hug

We’re a pretty close family, so getting along is never an issue, and given the setting, it was a few days in paradise.  We played with dolphins, enjoyed some great food, and just basked in the bright colors and glorious sunsets of paradise. 

Lori and Me with our girls and a new friend.

Note to self:  When spraying aerosol sunscreen on your back, you must actually spray directly in the direction of your back, or you will get sunburned.  I thought I sprayed my back, but a few hours later, it was beet red.  Always the good wife, I blamed Brad, who was back in Virginia!  For 25 years he always applied lotion to my back so I was out of practice contorting my body to make sure I self-covered.

Meanwhile back home, Brad was dealing with heartbreak when our sweet old Yankee boy suffered a major neurological event which left him paralyzed. 

Moments before Yankee learned to jump into waves.

How could I not know this was happening?  I couldn’t access my email account for some reason.  Stephi could, so after a couple of days of sun and fun, I asked her to write to her dad and let him know I was thinking of him, but unable to email.  His response included the string of emails sharing the sad reality of Yankee’s illness.  The next day Brad sent a lovingly written note letting us know Yankee was gone.  For him it had been 4 heart-wrenching days, for us, it had only been  minutes to absorb what happened.

I was immediately overtaken by grief.  I not only mourned the loss of my loving furry companion, but I lost one more piece of my life with Josh.  I could barely speak as I sputtered out the news to Britt and Stephi who both immediately crumbled in tears.  This was the pup of their childhood; The last pet they shared with their brother. 

Sweet Yankee Boy!

The next day we returned to the same house we left only 5 days before, but it was so different.  For the first time in thirteen years there was no wagging tail to greet us.  I saw his things in the garage, and the medical supplies sat in the corner, serving as testament to Brad’s heroics efforts.  There was a paw print in clay on the counter;  This along with his collar became instant treasures.

The silence was starting to get to me....after a couple of weeks the quiet is too much.  When a cat you nickname Stealth Kitty is the only noise in the house, something's gotta change!
I started looking through the various shelter websites for our next pup, much to Brad's chagrin.  He has dreams of jumping on a jet and seeing the world at a moment's notice, but he knows me and loves me enough to support my search for a new family dog. 

We decided to forgo the puppy stage and adopt a non-shedding small dog from a local shelter.  It seemed innocent enough.  The first weekend, Stephi and I laid out our roadmap to visit three shelters that had dogs which met our criteria.  I was very hopeful for the first one;  An adorable Havanese who looked so happy in his beautifully posed photo.  The initial hello was great, so we asked to meet him.  This adorable dog bounced into the room, said hello to us, instantly saw the toys, and went into piranha mode “killing” every toy in the room.  Turns out he was returned for doing that to cats…..this was not a good match for Stealth Kitty, so we had to say goodbye.

The other dogs were adopted before we arrived, and all that was left were big and beautiful shedding babies.  Not a good mix for one with asthma tendencies.  As time went on, every time I found a potential dog, he/she was adopted before my eyes.  I even started to fall for the adorable puppies, but Brad held his ground.

Who knew it would be this competitive?   I was growing impatient and slightly obsessive, so I stepped it up and recruited both girls to search with me.  Together we scoured shelter websites daily.  Finally, we all noticed the same adorable mini doodle named Alex. I immediately called about him, and was actually asked to submit an application.  I took this as a positive sign.

How hard could it be?

Let me just say I am so glad I didn’t have to fill out this application when my babies were born because I’m not sure I would have passed.  I understand the thought and heart behind it, but it is a bit intimidating.  I  suddenly wondered if I had the muster to raise this pup after caring for 5 dogs,  4 cats, 6 hamsters, 4 turtles and 20 fish.

I emailed my application within minutes.   Now all I can do is sit and wait.  God Grant me Patience, but do it now. 

While our country is celebrating Independence Day, I hope to be cuddling a new friend.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Hugs!
Sherri

Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, but it’s about who came and never left your side. ~Unknown