Thursday, January 12, 2012

A bright moment in a stressful day

It was one of those days.  I was short on sleep because Petey had been restless and barky all night (restless, which meant I couldn't have him on the bed with me in case he wandered off the edge and broke a leg;  barky because he wasn't on the bed with me);  London is still missing; and Sadie's test results still aren't in. 

And then I open my email to see this:


Lucy with her kids
(Photo by HG, used with permission)

And a wonderful, heartwarming, bring-a-smile-to-my-face update from Lucy's mom, Heather.  Lucy was my all-time favourite foster dog, who arrived pregnant with ten puppies and who took my heart with her when she headed for her forever home four months later.  December 31st was the one-year anniversary of her adoption. 



Heather says: 
She quickly became such an integral part of our family that it's hard to imagine her not being here! Kaia adores her to bits, and Darcy almost equally as much (although he's not quite the dog lover that Kaia is ). Lucy is so protective of both kids, it's really amazing to see her mothering instincts at work. Lucy still sleeps at the end of Kaia's bed, every night without fail. As for the cats... well, Coco and Lucy seem to get along fine. Lola, on the other hand, will tolerate Lucy as long as it's at paw's length, ha ha! I have caught them on my bed together, but Lucy is perched on the edge about as far away as she can get but still be on the bed.

Lucy has enjoyed the occasional "doggy spa day" with her buddy Kai. It has become tradition that they both go to the groomer on their "birthday" and then we throw in a few extras here and there when we think they need a bath. Lucy and Kai still enjoy eachother's company... it's quite comical to watch them play.
Lucy also got to meet my brother's dog Angus over the holidays. Angus is a "fully intact" male and Lucy took an instant liking to him. It was borderline embarrassing how she threw herself at him. I guess nature kicked in even though she's not a "whole" woman :)

Oh Lucy, isn't that just like you!  Ever the tease!

But I think my favourite part of the email was this:

At parent/teacher interview day for Kaia, I had the opportunity to look through Kaia's school journal. Nearly every day Kaia either talks about Lucy, or has drawn a picture of her. I think Lucy has a best friend for life in her girl. I'm positive the feeling is mutual.

And sometimes even reluctant spouses can be charmed by floosy, funny, short-legged long-bodied grinning dogs:
All of us love that brown furry... even Scott, who swore we'd never have a dog, has quite the soft spot for Lucy. He complains about her hogging the couch or bed or wherever Lucy has rest her head. Yet he'll never make her move :) . Thank you for helping us complete our family :)
My Lucy has truly become their Lucy, and I couldn't be happier for her. Thank you, Heather, Scott, Kaia and Darcy for making Lucy's life complete.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

You can't ask for anything better than that! Thank you for making sure that Lucy made it to her family. Now off to dry my tears :)

Sheryl said...

I'm so happy to hear that Lucy is so happy. I've thought of her often over the last year and wondered how she was doing.

Thank you for the update.

Anonymous said...

What a great e-mail to receive. I know you have been so worried about how Lucy was doing.
I'm so glad to see that she has landed in a good home is a is a well loved dog.
Way to go Lucy!!!!

Else

EvenSong said...

I thought I recognized that face! At first my assumption was that itwas one of her puppies, then upon reading, realized her actual identity.
Yeah, Lucy!

Black Jack's Carol said...

i think that update made me almost as happy as it did you! My heart just sang as I read those words and saw happy Lucy with her family. Hope this bright moment is just one great one for you, with more to follow.

Laura Carson said...

That is SO awesome. SO touching - I'm so glad Lucy has made such a difference in an entire family's life!

georgia little pea said...

We like happy stories. You didn't provide a link for those of us with faulty memories. Is this the dog that you took a long walk with to the sea the morning you gave her up for adoption? That was around the time I found you.

I hope you get some Sadie and London news soon. The waiting is the worst.

p.s. Georgia says to tell Allie...."peace, sister."

Dawn said...

Jean, Lucy was/is a very special, funny dog. I was lucky to meet and walk her before she went to your house to have all those babies.

It is great news that this wonderful character is being properly appreciated.

Sheryl said...

I've come back about a half a dozen times since yesterday just to look, again, at the picture of Lucy and her kids.

What a sweet, touching, happy picture!

Funder said...

Awww, what a wonderful update!

Jean said...

GLP, I meant to put a link in, and couldn't decide to which of the many stories of Lucy to link this update. But you are correct - Lucy and I took a sunrise stroll on the beach on her very last day with me.
Here is the link to that post:
http://mylifewiththecritters.blogspot.com/2010/12/sunrise-walk-and-bittersweet-farewell.html

(You will probably need to copy and paste it into your browser, as I don't know how to do links in the comment box).
You can read many stories and poems of Lucy (and her pups) by using the search box on this blog or clicking on the label Lucy at the bottom of this entry - I think - or simply scrolling through the stories from early September 2010 to December 31 2010.