Moments Worth Mentioning

I’ve really been missing my pups over the last few days. I guess the warm weather reminds me of days in the park and long walks. I was thrilled to hear from Andra once again. I can’t help but smile when I read her emails.

Thursday:
Everything is going great with Foster and Sadie. They both sleep on my son Nathan’s bed at night – Sadie sleeps under the covers with him. Foster sleeps at the end of the bed in his dog bed. They escort him to his bedroom each night and downstairs each morning. They also like to ride in the van to pick Nathan up from school, and seem to know what time we have to go. About five minutes before it is time to leave, they start prancing around and whining at the laundry room door that leads to the garage.

I said goodbye to my two dogs this morning… again. Finding a new home for them has been an emotional and frustrating journey. But I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and meeting Andra this morning made the last 2 months of headaches seem worth while.

I have had this family in mind for about two weeks. We have had daily emails discussing various things about the dogs which allowed me to really feel comfortable with my decision. Andra is a stay-at-home mother of two boys, and is a founder of an animal rescue group. She and her husband have been looking at cavaliers for several years. The fact that she found my add on Craigslist is pretty amazing. I believe that it was meant to be for this family to end up with Foster and Sadie.

Our busy schedules caused us to postpone the meeting until this morning. We went back and forth about who would make the 1 hour drive. But in the end, she came to my apartment to meet the dogs. She showed up promptly at 10am. I was completely pulled together up until I saw her car pull into the parking lot. This was it… for sure this time.

Andra came to the door with flowers in hand. She said that the bouquet was from her two boys as a thank you. She also brought pictures of her family for me to see. I appreciated that she understood how difficult it was to say goodbye. We sat on the floor with the dogs for about half an hour. We talked in depth about their routine and habits. I felt like I was talking with a long lost friend.

We eventually loaded up her car with all of the dogs belongings. I took each dog and gave them a final snuggle. I wished them good luck and told them to be good. Andra insisted that this was not “goodbye” but simply a “I’ll see you later”. She extended an open invitation for me to visit anytime I wanted. She didn’t have to do that. I sincerely appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness. She also promised to keep the emails coming with updates and pictures.

I am absolutely certain that Foster and Sadie found a wonderful new home. Good luck babies. I miss you already.

As the weekend is winding down, I can’t help but feel happy and content! After a strange turn of events, the weekend shaped up to be pretty great. I sit here now with my two dogs curled up by my feet once again. I had a weekend filled with reunions and it was good!

My dad and step mom arrived around 2:30 Friday afternoon. They had been driving for two days with my two dogs as cargo. It had been three weeks since I had seen my dogs, and five months since I had seen my dad. The rain didn’t stop us from having a huge group hug out in front of my apartment! After a little while of settling in and unpacking, we went out and had a great dinner. We all laughed and caught up over steak and seafood. Delicious!

They decided that they would crash at my apartment for the night. They took my room, I took the couch. My apartment was not made to accommodate three people, but we made it work. It was what I would call some serious family bonding!

Saturday morning our plans for participating in a 2 mile charity walk got rained out, so we found an outlet mall instead. None of us needed a thing, but somehow we all managed to walk away with a few bags in our hands. As the afternoon approached, we found a spot for lunch, and actually ended up ordering breakfast. French toast, omelets and pancakes. Yum! After lunch we headed back to my apartment for a few more hours of relaxing before we had to head to the airport.

Their plane took off around 5:30. It had been a quick visit. I would have loved for them to have stayed several more days. They were so incredibly generous to bring the dogs back up here. I owe them one. I am thankful that things worked out the way they did so they could have the opportunity to see where I live. They had been meaning to get up here for a while, and this was the perfect excuse.

Sunday found me on the golf course. The weather was so-so, and so were my tips. Oh well, better luck next week. Warm (really warm) weather is supposedly on its way, and that will bring lots of thirsty golfers. I got home early enough to take the dogs to a local park for a nice jog. We all seemed to really enjoy the exercise and the sunshine. I couldn’t help but be thankful that I was able to spend the time with them. I am still planning on meeting their potential new owner early next week. (sigh) I still think its for the best.

Long story, short: Great weekend. Great family. Great memories!

I am a firm believer in following your gut instinct. I think women especially have a way of just knowing when something seems out of sorts. My gut has been talking for several days now. So I decided I better start listening to it…

I thought I had a plan. But as plans go, it didn’t work out how I had hoped. My gracious mom has been keeping my dogs for almost 3 weeks now as we wait to make final arrangements to get them to their new owner. The reasons for the delay, as legitimate as they may be, have been frustrating. At this point, I am over it. My dogs (and my mom) deserve to have a plan. The “limbo” situation has gone on long enough.

As much as I would love to have the dogs back, its just not a reasonable option. I still need to find them a new home. But finding a home for them when they are 800 miles away is ridiculously challenging. I want to see where they are going, and I want to meet the new owner(s) in person. I obviously cannot do either of those things being so far away. So… the decision was made. (As of 9pm last night.) The dogs are coming back to Michigan! My wonderful dad offered to bring them back to me. He will be making the 2 day drive, and will be here Friday afternoon. What a great unexpected family reunion!

In the mean time, I think I have found a wonderful family to adopt my dogs. I have plans to meet them one morning next week. Here is part of an email from them:

My family and I have been researching this breed for over three years now. We currently have been heavily researching breeders, rescue groups, etc. I was ecstatic to see your ad today. My husband and I have two children, boys ages 7 and 4. We have been waiting until Noah (the younger son) was old enough before we introduced any dogs into our home.

Its a done deal. I made the 6 hour drive to Lexington, KY this weekend to hand off my beloved dogs.

Saturday started early. I had most of the dogs belongings already packed, but I still had to figure out how it was going to fit into my car. The dogs always get very excited when their leashes are out, or when they suspect a car ride is in their future. On Saturday, they were jumping and barking and shaking with excitement. I wish I had been able to find a way of telling them that today was nothing to be excited about.

We got on the road a little after 8am. The dogs did remarkably well on the long drive. We stopped every 2 hours for short walks and potty breaks. The dogs and I had a long conversation during the drive (I did most of the talking). I explained what was going on, and that they were going to have a new owner to love. By the time we hit the Kentucky boarder, we were all in agreement that it was for the best. We rolled into Lexington around 3pm. My mom wasn’t far behind. We found a hotel that allowed pets, and settled into our room. My mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to not think about what the next morning held. We went and had a pedicure, and found a great restaurant for dinner. She was a wonderful distraction for me.

The dogs were predictably restless that night. They were obviously out of their element, and after our long talk, they were uncandidly aware that we were sharing our last few hours together. The next morning went by in slow motion. I tried to savor every last moment. After a quick breakfast, the time had come to say goodbye. I took each one individually in my arms for a final snuggle. I was amazingly well composed, and had a sense of peace about the decision. This was an answered prayer if I had ever seen one. The dogs whimpered as I put them into their crates for their journey to Georgia. I swear they knew exactly what was happening.

I made it back to Michigan around 2pm on Sunday. I immediately noticed how quite my apartment had become. My mom called about an hour later to report that they had made it safely back to Georgia. She said they were unbelievably well behaved and very quite during the ride. They were running around her backyard when she called me. They haven’t been able to run without a leash in a long time. The freedom was well overdue.

They will be staying with her for the week until Jeremy can come and get them. They have been to her house many times before. I am hoping that being with my mom will make the transition away from me a little easier for them (and for me).

Good luck babies! I love you and will forever miss you.

A few blogs ago I mentioned that I was starting the process of finding my precious dogs a new home. I posted it on here not actually expecting anyone that I know to want them. But as luck would have it, a friend has come forward and has expressed interest. He is actually a friend of a friend, but just the same, he is not a complete stranger. And as relieved as I am to know that a home has been found, I am completely devastated knowing that the time I have left with my babies is now limited.

Jeremy is a vet technician. He lives and works in Atlanta. He already has two cavaliers that are living a life of absolute luxury. His two dogs go with him to work and play with the “doggy day care” dogs, or are left at his parent’s farm for the day. They are hardly ever left alone. They are also treated to weekly massages and grooming sessions. They are given fresh fruit or vegetables for treats. They travel when he goes on vacations. His dogs live a better life then most children. I couldn’t ask for a better place for my babies to call home. I have questioned this guy backwards and forwards, simply because what he is offering seems too good to be true.

So, the past few days have been used to make arrangements on getting the dogs back to Georgia. I refuse to stick them on a plane. So my only other option would be to make the drive. I am hoping to meet my mom half way to make the exchange. I can only imagine what condition I will be in as I get closer to actually handing them over. I keep telling myself that this is what’s best for them, and honestly what’s best for me. But, my heart is breaking in a way that can’t be understood by anyone who doesn’t have their own “baby”. They say true love is being able to look beyond your own needs and be willing to put aside your own selfish desires for the betterment of someone else. I hope that’s what I’m doing. I hope that this is not a mistake. And, most importantly, I hope these two dogs will be able to understand (in whatever way their minds work) that I am trying to do the right thing.

As much as I am attached to these dogs, they are just as attached to me. I can’t walk out of a room without two wagging tails falling close behind. I raised them both from 8 week old puppies, and they have never known anyone else. The breed is known to have strong loyalty instincts. They decide very early who they will take to. These two silly dogs have a horrible case of “separation anxiety” when they are left with other people. I think that’s why I am a little concerned about handing them off to someone else. I can only hope that they will be able to fall in love with him just as they have with me.