Bringing our girl home

So, D and I made it our mission to meet as many dogs as possible. We wanted to make sure we weren't just falling for the first cute face we saw. The thing is, Hazel's foster made it very clear that she wanted Hazel to live in a home with other dogs. We had talked about adopting two dogs anyway, so initially, this was not a concern. It wasn't until I started feeling stressed about "promising" to adopt a second dog that I realized we had to let go of the idea of adopting Hazel. We very well *may* adopt two dogs...but I wanted that decision to be an organic one. One that we made as a family after having adopting our first dog. Because we've never had two dogs before, we have no idea what that looks like for us a family. We preferred to adopt a dog who likes other canines, and then foster. We knew Hazel would have foster siblings and the chance to romp with doggy friends on a regular basis. I relayed our concerns to her foster and with a heavy heart, closed the book on the "adopting Hazel" story. I felt so sad and defeated. I accepted the fact that our search was going to have to continue, and that it may very well take much longer than anticipated. Well, later that day while I was at work, I saw an email pop up from her foster. I didn't want to open it. I had butterflies. I took a deep breath and clicked it open. I'll spare you all the details, but basically, it came down to the foster saying that she thought our family was a great match for Hazel,and she didn't want to hold up a potential adoption by requiring the 2nd dog since she knew we would provide that outlet for her. I cried. I squealed..I wrote her as quickly as I could thanking her...and then I called Tom to tell him the news. That night, we had a home check from a volunteer, Kim. Two hours later, our girl was home. We did things a little backwards...Hazel's foster was out of town and she had a pet sitter at her house. Kim got permission for me to go pick Hazel up and bring her home. The adoption process with this rescue is that everyone fosters with the intent of adopting. They want to make sure it's truly a good match, and that all parties agree before an adoption is finalized. I let Hazel sniff the house, introduced her to hubby, and then let her get re-acquainted with her human sister. Then..it was play time in the back yard. We marveled at how she pounced on the tennis ball. We could not get enough of her cuteness. Everything she did was "adorable" and"precious".

We did not sleep Friday night. Hazel was antsy (who could blame her), and had to potty several times. I could not wait to wake up early and enjoy a pre dawn walk with my dog..this is something I have been waiting for over 3 years, since the passing of my beloved Haley.

My dreams were coming true..I was so happy. But, that all changed the following morning.... To be cont'd...