Diamonds are a girl’s best friend

You might remember when I lost my mind decided to take in a foster a couple weeks back.  If you don’t, then read my insane ramblings here.  I was really wondering if we could handle taking in a pup at the busiest time of my work year and whether or not our marriage would survive my spontaneous decision.
 

I got over it the second that little girl jumped out of the ASPCA van in my front yard.
 

This was within 10 minutes of her being at the house… I think she was happy.

 

Diamond was the happiest, loviest little snugglebug I’ve ever met.  I swear, you’d think she was crapping rainbows with the smile that graced her face at all times.  What.A.Doll.  We played with her for a while, let her investigate the yard and then we released the hounds… literally.

 

We let Brody meet her first because Brody can make friends with a wall.  It took a few minutes before she warmed up to him but I think his (enormous) size was a little intimidating.  She’s definitely a pocket pittie and made B look like Godzilla minus the fire breathing and falling buildings in Tokyo.  Then we took the real test and brought Capone out.  It didn’t take us long to realize that they both suffered from Idiot On A Leash Syndrome and decided that it was enough excitement for one day.  Seriously, my dog goes to doggy daycare where he plays with upwards of 70 dogs at a time but if he meets a dog in the lobby while on the leash, he’s a total bully.  Freak.

 

I iz pertie…

 

Given the fact that she was REALLY sick (I probably could still scrape up some of the green snot from my floor somewhere) AND she hadn’t been spayed yet (you can’t expect to be gassed under for surgery if you can’t breathe through your nose), we decided there was no good reason for them to all be hanging out.  So we did a lot of crate and rotate… and it ended up applying to both the dogs and John and I.  Because I was working such crazy hours and going home in the middle to let all the beasts out, I felt extra guilty and slept in the spare bedroom with her.  Every night.  For two weeks.  John missed me I think.  Through it all I just kept reminding myself… she would have been dead.  Spending the day alone ain’t that bad.

 

I just had a baff… rn’t i adorabol???

 

She was only with us for a week and a half before an application came in that was the equivalent of the winning PowerBall ticket minus the millions of dollars but including all the happiness and promise for a future you didn’t need to worry about.  Ok, maybe that’s a bad comparison.  What I am trying to say is, holy crap this family was perfect.  Now I just had to wait and see if she was perfect for the family.  On Saturday the 9th, exactly two weeks from the day she arrived, John and I brought the little girl to our town’s spring clean up we were volunteering at and she was Miss Social Butterfly – best friends with everyone, running around off-leash, picking up stray sticks and straight up loving life.  And I’m not going to lie… I teared up.  Big time.  Here was this little pup who I took a huge leap of faith on and she was SO happy to be alive.  Imagine that.

 

Ummmm… thanx fur savin me Darcie… i luv livin!

 

After one last make-her-smell-good-and-look-pretty bath, we were on our way to her potential new family’s home 25 minutes away.  We pulled up, she jumped out of the car, ran right up the front steps, stopped to say hi to her new mama and then walked into the house like she was already home.  It was an absolute love fest and after 2 hours of laughing, sharing stories, asking questions and overall bonding, all because of this little girl, John and I got back in our car with nothing but an empty leash in my hands.  Oh yeah… and two new friends.  And then I bawled my eyes out -  huge, alligator tears of happiness.  Diamond went from being on the top of a euthanasia list to the top dog in her new home, complete with grandchildren at the perfect height for kissing, in less than two weeks.  And there’s nothing better than that.  Diamond has been officially adopted after a week-long trial run.  She is now named Macy and is spending her days curled up with her mom and dad, snuggling on the couch and sharing that big pretty pittie smile with anyone who looks her way.  Good girl Macy… GOOD GIRL.  The coolest part?  We pulled her from the shelter on the same day that her new mom and dad lost their beloved pittie girl to cancer.  I certainly believe in fate and this was one of those times that confirms it for me.

 

I can’t help but imagine the thank you’s pouring through her mind.

 

So after all the anxiety, stress and overall “what the hell was I thinking” feelings, I walked out of this experience with a stronger sense of myself, what John and I can accomplish together and a feeling of happiness and satisfaction that I haven’t had in a while.

 

I don’t know how you can ever regret saving a dog’s life… and clearly I’m going to need to do it again real soon.

 

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. – M. Facklam