I wrote the following last year on the day I adopted my new dog, Sadie. I miss you Pudgy; I love you Sadie.
August 26, 2016 8:15 a.m.
Pudgy and I, Winter 2016
It’s been six months since Pudgy passed away at the age of thirteen and the longest period that I have ever been without having a dog. The void I felt in my heart over losing Pudgy and not having a dog for so long was hard to bear, but I just wasn’t ready. The grieving process is still ongoing, although I finally felt my heart begin to open a month ago to let a new dog enter.
I am a firm believer in fate. About two months after Pudgy passed, I started going to dog adoption events every other Saturday put on by Dogma Animal Rescue, a local rescue that specializes in rescuing pregnant females and puppies from shelters.
Although it was wonderful to hold a dog in my arms again and enjoy the smell of a squiggling puppy, I left each adoption event in tears thinking to myself “I don’t want another dog, I want Pudgy.” At one event I was very close to adopting a puppy named Bonnie. I held her in my arms and felt the bond I had been hoping for. However, another potential adoptee showed up while I was holding Bonnie and said she had come specifically to adopt her. I looked into her eyes and immediately put Bonnie in her arms and said “She belongs with you.” Once again I cried the entire half hour drive home but Bonnie was not fated to be with me; I still wasn’t over Pudgy.
I found myself checking out the Dogma Rescue website every day for two months and finally in July, I saw the following photo and had a strong feeling that this might be the dog for me.
She was a rescue from a shelter about fifty miles away and was very pregnant. Apparently her owner dumped her at the shelter right before she was ready to give birth. Dogma Animal Rescue took her and she had her pups in their transport vehicle.
About five weeks after her four pups were born, I saw their photos on Dogma’s website and decided I wanted to visit her and her pups with the intention of adopting the mom and her only female puppy, Porsche.
I visited them a week ago and although the mom dog was shy, she let me pick up her puppies without any fuss and when I extended my hand to her, she licked it.
I talked to her foster mom, Jessica, and said “I know the names of the puppies but what did you name the mom?”
Jessica replied “I tried lots of names but she didn’t respond to any of them except ‘Sadie.’ When I called her Sadie, her ears perked up, she wagged her tail and ran over to me.”
I was astounded. Sadie was the name of my mother’s dog. Fate . . .
My mom passed away two years ago and I took her twelve year old dog named Sadie. Sadie missed my mom but had a happy life with me until she succumbed to cancer about six months after my mother had passed. I was glad I made the last months of Sadie’s life full of love and tender care.
I told Duane (Dogma Rescue founder) and Jessica that I would let them know my decision the next day because I was sure about adopting Sadie but wanted to think a bit more about her female puppy. The next day, I told them that I would adopt Sadie but not her puppy “Porsche” (her puppies were named after cars since they were born in one). I figured that Sadie’s puppies would have no problem finding homes but Sadie might not. It was a tough decision to let that darling puppy go.
That night I finally had a dream about Pudgy. I had not dreamt about her at all since she had passed and every night I hoped to reunite with her in the world of dreams. I can’t recall all the details of the dream but it was wonderful and felt so real. Pudgy was alive and with me again, happy and healthy, and at the end of the dream I was sitting on the bed with her and a good friend who died five years ago. Her name was Dian and I would often petsit her dogs. She was a kindred animal lover and absolutely cherished her two golden retrievers. In the dream, Dian told me “You know I petsit now and any time you want to go away, I would be more than happy to take care of Pudgy.” She came to me in that dream to let me know that Pudgy was in heaven with her and doing fine. I felt like they were also letting me know that they approved of my adopting Sadie.
It is also a sign and fateful that I am getting Sadie on “National Dog Appreciation Day.” I had completely forgotten that it was today until I checked Facebook earlier this morning and a photo of my dearly departed dog “Pudgy” popped up with the caption “National Dog Appreciation Day, Memory from one year ago today.”
Pudgy 2015
1:00 p.m. — Sadie’s home! I could not be happier!