Still miss him…

It’s been close to a year and a half, but I still miss my Bo.  He was a dog that I had no intention of getting. 

A friend of mine asked me to take her to an animal shelter to look at a Dalmatian that had just been posted on their web site.  She had just lost her Dalmatian and desperately wanted to get another one.  Her husband had to work late and she was scared this dog was going to be adopted before she could get up there. So yes, I told her I’d take her.  While there, I wandered around some.  It was sad to see all those dogs just wanting to go home with someone.  Now, if I’d gone there to get a dog myself, there was no way I could have left without taking one home.  But I was not looking to adopt, I was merely a chauffeur for someone who was.  No guilt in leaving empty handed, right? 

I finished my mission, this Dalmatian had a new home and the car was full of excitement.  My friend was grateful for having been able to fill her home with doggy love again.  When I got home, I spoke to my (very soon to be) husband about this one dog that I saw.  My heart breaking just a little bit more with every word.  See, this one dog, he just sat in the back with his ears at full alert but stayed a safe distance. All the other dogs were jumping and barking at their gates hoping to win someone’s affection.

The next day I called the shelter and asked if by any chance he was still there.  He was.  I was so excited.  I asked her to please make sure that no one else adopted him.  I wanted to give him a home!  She assured me, he would still be there.  Just that, broke my heart even more.  I was determined to give him the best home I could. 

My boys were 9 and 10 at the time.  I did not tell them where we were going at first, just that we had some place special to go.  We stopped for a quick dinner and I told them then what was about to happen.  I also explained that we were not going to go look at dogs, we had one already picked out.  (I was scared that we’d get there and suddenly they would be like, ‘but we like this one’.)

And that is how it all began.  There is nothing better than a dog’s love and trust.  And he gave us all that, and so much more.

It's a dog's life...

One of my greatest pleasures when I go to Maine is to walk the beach.  But not for the reason you might think.  It’s usually off season, so it’s often cold and windy.  Sure, there are pretty rocks and often sand dollars to be found, but the real pleasure for me comes from the dogs.  This beach has a wall separating the beach from the road and it’s contained for pet owners to feel safe to let their pups run free. The dogs don’t care how cold it is, they dive into the waves after their toys regardless of the temp.  Most of the dogs will come over for a sniff or a pat. 

This guy was happy to just be out in the fresh air and thrilled to get a scratch from a new friend.

This picture has a story to it.  A mom finds a stick and gives to her son to play with, see, he was starting to get cranky about walking.  The boy now being distracted marches on proudly.  Then all of a sudden, to the boys shock, a dog stole his stick right out of his little hand.  The dog is celebrating his new toy, mom is doing damage control, the dog’s mom sees what has happened and came over to rectify the situation.  Soon the boy is happy again, then he loses interest in the stick because an English Bulldog pup has wondered over to join the party.  Just another day at the beach....

Pure Magic.....

We all have places that we go that just change our moods.  This is one of mine.  I have named it my magic gate.  It holds a certain power for me.  I’ve been going to this place in Maine for years, and this one time, it was very clear what this gate meant to me.  Right on the other side was peace.  As I opened the gate, I could literally feel all the stress just wash away, layer by layer. 

This has not been easy.......

A friend was helping me get started and my computer was not having it.  So I asked my son to help me with my computer.  He swears he did nothing special to it, but now it is working fine.  Thanks to both of you for helping me!