I had no intention of getting another dog- thanks, social media.
Bella's our big girl, and little Sophie is her brand new pal. Bella couldn't be happier, I think she's always been a momma at heart.
A couple of years ago I tried to adopt another mastiff dog. I visited him a few times at the shelter, but he went to a family that lived on a farm, Upstate New York. Then, I tried for a small dog at a different shelter, but I never heard back on her. The little dogs get adopted quickly, so I'm sure someone gave her a good home.
Getting adopted is the ultimate goal, but I'd be lying if said I wasn't disappointed at the time.
Our big Bella is more than a handful, and we adopted our daughter's dog, as well. Truth be told, I got my hands full. And then along comes my daily dose of social media. I was scrolling through Instagram, and saw this funny looking, little wire-haired dog with gigantic ears.
Her eyebrows were unruly, and her ears way too big, but nothing melts my heart like a girl with a beard.
Not to mention she had eyelashes I'd pay for.
The shelter liked my application and this time around, I got her! Sophie's sweet, shows zero signs of aggression, but she's the shyest dog I've ever met. The vet thinks she's somewhere between one and two years old, and I don't think she's ever lived much outside of a crate. She likes our other dogs, and sticks close to them, but she's wary of the humans. At the moment, she prefers the safety of her crate over freedom.
So, we pet the other dogs while Sophie licks her lips and yawns her nervous yawn, watching from the open crate. I can tell she wants to join in, but she's still accessing the risk. She tries to keep herself small and safe. If she's very still, I believe she thinks she's invisible. I feel you, girl. But haven't you heard? All the wonderful things are on the other side of that crate door.
I have faith that she'll get there when she gets there. Maybe those other dogs weren't for me? Sophie needed me, or so I'd like to think. Or maybe the joke's on me, and I needed her.
One thing's for certain, I'm old enough to know that everything happens for a reason.
