One week ago today, we adopted a new dog. This was sort of strange since I wasn’t looking for another dog. In fact, since the sudden death of my beloved chow two and a half years ago, I had signed off the idea of ever getting another dog. But then came this opportunity.
Two days before getting Sadie, our new dog, I met up with a girlfriend, who had a lead on a dog that needed an immediate new home. There was nothing wrong with the dog that was a byproduct of harder economic times.
I’ve known this girlfriend for over twenty years, and in that time, have helped adopt and place a number of animals through her. Since the untimely death of my chow, many other dogs in need of a good home had crossed this girlfriend’s radar. I’d been made privy to many of them, but never had the slightest inclination to look into adopting any of them.
But that day, sitting across from my girlfriend, something deep inside me clicked. The thing that had been broken the day my chow died seemed to mend itself, and I asked to see this latest dog’s picture. The moment I saw her, I knew…this was the dog for me.
Half Boarder Collie half Australian Shepherd, Sadie is a bundle of energy and loves to run the mountain with me. She’s also a natural-born fetcher, meaning she will literally play fetch with anything until she drops or you tell her it’s time to stop playing.
Unlike the other dogs we’ve rescued over the years, Sadie has no physical or emotional detriments. Aside from needing a new home, this one and a half year-old darling is completely in tack. This is especially odd, since we’ve always adopted the hard luck cases that have such physical disabilities as to need extensive surgery/rehabilitation. We’ve also adopted animals that had terrible pasts, requiring that they be retrained to undo the damage the abuse they’d received had done. But Sadie came to us a whole dog, full of energy and overflowing with adoration for all of us, including our year-old granddaughter.
It’s been a breath of fresh air having Sadie integrate into our family. To witness how smooth that transition was. To see how our fourteen-year old other female dog took an instant liking to her new friend and how the two girls are getting along. Best of all has been my wondering over how at ease Sadie is.
Since she has no past abuse that we had to undo the effects of, she’s a well-adjusted stable dog who adores lying next to anyone who will sit still long enough. She’s especially fond of my granddaughter—the feeling’s mutual. And to see the already close bond that has formed between my youngest son and his new sidekick, Sadie…that’s worth the world to me. Whenever I walk by and see my son sitting, there’s Sadie, diligently lying beside him, my son’s fingers combing through her silky fur.
It’s ironic how these new pet opportunities have always had a way of just plopping in my lap. Like others we’ve adopted, I wasn’t actively looking for another pet at the time. Unlike others we’ve adopted, Sadie was able to break through a tremendous wall of scar tissue left behind by the death of my chow. Within hours of her being here, she captured the hearts of all of us. Since adopting her, that bond has continued to grow to the point that now, after only a week, I can’t imagine not having her with us.
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