The Stars Aligned

Everything seemed to be aligning perfectly, proving to us that the time was indeed right for us to add a fur baby to our household once again. While Pretzel was already happily his new home, Mama Cali and three more pups were still being fostered just five minutes away by my lifelong friend, Julie. With them all being back to perfect health (minus a bout with giardia), weaned off Mama Cali, and full of energy and curiosity, Julie was more than ready for the pups to each go to a loving home of their own.

We discussed the fact that it would be a foster-to-adopt situation until the pups were neutered and fully vaccinated, in addition to the fact that the rescue required a puppy training class to be taken. We set up a meet and greet with Shanna, the other half of Mendo Shelter Pets Rescue, and fell head over heels for the one called Biscotti—a fawn-colored pup with white markings on his chest and a gray muzzle. While his brothers just wanted to play and be wild and explore their surroundings, Biscotti favored snuggles and would bury his nose in our chest when we held him. 

Lane and I deliberated for a long while, not taking the decision lightly. Were we really ready for this additional task that would last for the entire lifetime of the dog? Were the girls ready? Was this the right dog for us? Ironically, the one who was more hesitant than I was about getting another dog in the first place, Lane had no doubt in his mind after meeting Biscotti that the answers were yes, yes, and yes. 

Welcome Home, Bo!

We brought Mama Cali’s nine-week-old pup home that icy night in January, and he quickly became a part of our family. We renamed him Bo, although Lane and I have varying full names for him—I call him Bo Duke, while Lane calls him Bocephus. Bo is incredibly patient with the kids, follows me around like my shadow, gives plenty of wags and licks when the girls wake in the morning, loves “ruffhousing” with Lane, and wants nothing more than to simply be with us, wherever that may be.

I love how he “talks” like many pittie breeds do, greeting anyone who comes to visit and making sure they don’t ignore him. He is beyond excited whenever any of his doggie friends visit or he gets to go visit them—Max, Gizmo, Kona, Rey, and Mater. Bo loves to play, but is also happy to just snuggle nearby while I work. He goes on every car ride he can, and I hope one day he can even join me on the trails with the horses like Tanner once did. In short, Bo is the perfect match for our family, and we are incredibly grateful that we crossed paths with him and were lucky enough to bring him home.

Celebrate!

Bo celebrated his very first birthday in early November 2022 and we celebrated his first adoption anniversary this month (January 2023). We hope to have another fourteen-plus years with him, just as long as his quality of life remains. He will grow up alongside our girls as Sasha did with me, and hopefully he’ll even see the girls off to college. And if you believe in the concept presented in W. Bruce Cameron’s dog series beginning with A Dog’s Purpose (a really great series of books for any dog lover, by the way!), then perhaps Bo will always be with us in one form or another. Maybe he even has the spirit of Tanner, or my childhood dog, Sasha.

To be continued…

Next month, I will talk about the patience required to train a new puppy and share the photo I took on the day Bo’s adoption was finalized!