THE TRIP TO FIND SOPHIE

As you guys know, we have lost three of our four beloved dogs and one cat since May, 2009. We lost Taylor in May, 2009; Jake on October 15, 2009;
Holly on March 3, 2010 and Savvy Jo on July 26, 2010. It has been a really bad 15 months.

Eric loved all the pets, but he especially loved Holly. Holly was that strange little Black Lab mutt mix who tried to admit herself to the Holly admission unit at Alton State Hospital. I rescued her from the mental patients who were feeding her bags of Doritos, M & M, and Snickers Bars. He has been utterly heartbroken over her loss. The circumstances of her death, the fact that we didn't expect it that day and she went suddenly made it even worse I think. When he thinks about Holly or tries to talk about her, he still tears up. And, I'm not much better. When we lost Savvy Jo on Monday that was the last of the three musketeers for me. Those three dogs had stood by me, loved me and been utterly loyal through all of the toughest years of my life--when I was so utterly alone, abandoned, and felt as if absolutely no one cared if I lived or died--they were a steadfast, loyal, constant total love. The grief I felt at her death was not just her death,it was the grief associated with all of their deaths and the grief associated with the end of an entire era of my life. There were times when those dogs were responsible for my very survival. I could not give up. There was no one to care for them. I had to keep going through the very roughest years of my life. I know what I owe them. I owe them my very life many times over.

I prayed and prayed about it for this week and came to really know that if Taylor, Jake, Holly, and Savvy Jo could vote they would vote for us to rescue at least one more animal, save at least one more life, and give one more life a chance to love and be loved. So, Eric and I went to the pound Saturday and told the adoption counselor to pick out one dog and bring her to us in the adoption visiting room. We told her to pick out a dog that was kind of a black Lab or a mix that was kind of a Black Lab. If we had to look at a bunch of dogs, we would have brought them all home. So we needed someone else to pick a dog.

One of the pictures is of me filling out papers to apply for adoption and one of them is of me sitting in that long lonely hall at the pound waiting from them to bring us a dog.

She returned with this skinny, dirty Black dog who looks remarkably like an adolescent Black Lab. They had found her wandering the streets. She was either a stray, a dump, or a dog that had wandered away from home. She was incredibly friendly and appeared to take right to us--nuzzling and tail wagging. She was so friendly that I suspect she ran up to the animal control man and climbed in the truck. I named her Sophie on the spot. I had taken a leash with us because we were planning to bring a dog home. We were not allowed to bring her home. They can't put her up for adoption until 8/3/10 because they have to give her previous owners a chance to come and claim her. So, we don't know if we will get her. But, I plan to be at the pound with a leash when they open on 8/3/10.