I had decided a while ago that I needed a puppy to fill the void left by not being able to have any more babies. It really did work. Right away I felt better. It's probably only a temporary patch, but it's working better than anything else has! :D So anyway, I'd looked in shelters in 5 states to find a puppy that would stay fairly small and needed a good home. I looked on Craigslist too, but just couldn't find one. I eventually found her in the local paper, but in the mean time I had seen a photo and very sad video of Minnie at a shelter off to our North. I felt so sorry for her. She looked so much like our Brecon and I couldn't help thinking how it would be for her to be left at a shelter at such an age. Just when she should be feeling at her most loved and secure she is abandoned. She troubled me greatly. I spoke to my husband about it and he said I should choose. Did I want a puppy or this older dog? The thing is, I explained, I wanted the Puppy for ME and the dog for it's sake. I wanted to give the old dog a loving home in it's later years. It went round and round in my head... how could I choose. I decided to go with the puppy to start with as the shelter that had the retriever said she wouldn't be available for another week and we would be traveling through that area then on the way back from a trip to Sioux Falls where Rex had been working. One weekend between trips the family took a long ride to get my Puppy and I loved her instantly. The retriever stayed on my mind. I'm like that.. very tenacious!
Hubby went to work in Sioux Falls for another week and on the Thursday I packed up the kids, Brecon ( our big dog ) and the puppy and we drove up there to see him. It was Jackster's sixth birthday on the Friday so I'd made up a Vegan Chocolate Cake and Maple Frosting and took it up with us. We took all his presents and some balloons and we stayed in a fabulous hotel with a lovely pool... We've been there before, in the same room even, and it's just perfect for us! The divine Alicia and her family came for the Friday night too and we all had a super time.. We toured the Sculpture Walk in downtown Sioux Falls and we went to the wonderful zoo.... It was a lovely few days! ( The retriever stayed on my mind.... ) We were all set to drive home and I spoke again to hubby. The shelter had gone out of their way to be accommodating to us, having someone meet us there after hours so we could see the dog, so I felt we should at least go and see her but on the drive down, as we were in separate cars, I was able to give it some thought. I realised that since we had a new puppy it would be unfair on both dogs to take another one. I wouldn't have time to spend with her, it would be too much on our plates..... By the time we arrived, Rex pulled up next to me and I said, "It's not a good idea... Please go in and thank them but tell them we have changed our minds and can't possibly take her...".... "ok"...he said. He goes in the shelter... and comes out with the dog on a leash...! "OH!! " She's very small... I mean, smaller than Brecon, and very gentle. All that dog wants is to come home with us. Right away she tried to get in our car. She leaned on Rex and put her face under his hands so he could pet her. She needed love so badly. We had the children meet her and she was so loving and gentle with them. We had Brecon and the new puppy meet her.... again, just loving and gentle. Rex and I looked at one another. We smiled. Just another one of our crazy decisions....!! He asked the dog if she would like to come home with us? She jumped in the van and lay down immediately as if to say "I'll just lay here, I won't be a bit of trouble..." and she wasn't. I drove home for hours with three sleeping dogs and two sleeping kids. Not a peep out of any of them.
