a puppy! a puppy!

Meet the newest family member! Well, technically, he's my "grand" dog, but that's a term I won't be using. Emily adopted a dog from the rescue shelter today!


Emily and Abigail and Mirielle and Mali live in a house in a town a few miles from here. Emily and Mirielle have been wanting a dog for a long time, particularly a lab. Em's application was approved at the rescue shelter, and they received a shipment of new dogs today from down south. Oh, the choosing! All the yapping puppies and barking doggies in their cages, begging to be pet and played with. There was a sign on the wall that read, "Saving one dog will not save the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever." Oh, to choose! There is a puppy room there. I cried in there. I wanted them all. They desperately wanted me, too. Or anyone, for that matter. To put their hand in the crate and scratch the back of their neck, or pat their head. One little guy was chewing at the bars, he wanted to play so badly.

This pup that Emily chose is a lab mix. He is a year and a half old, and hails from Texas. He sat there in his cage, all calm-like, and wagged his tail. We took him out for a walk in the parking lot, and he greeted the other dogs being test-walked, happily. He stopped at one point, turned around, and gave Emily this nice little huggy kissy thing, like he was making sure she was still on the end of the leash. He is a heart-stealer. I held him on my lap all the way home. He's smaller than our labs, easy to manage, and very cute.

I told Em not to be surprised, she will probably wonder a few times what the heck she was thinking, and perhaps even have some fleeting regrets about getting him. Dogs are hard work, and adjusting will be a challenge. He needs to learn a few things. But she is head over heels, and I am so happy for her....