Raising the Bar

Warning - this is a post about my dog.

If you are a cat person, you have been warned ;)

 

Almose two years ago,

there was a hole in my heart that reached an unrepairable proportion.

I had always had a dog in my house.

And when it was time to say goodbye to our long-time family member, Murphy,

I had made a pledge that we were done with dogs. It was too hard to say goodbye.

I didn't need the mess, the responsibility, the work . . .

No.

I was done.

No more pets.

Murphy at about 14 years old.

Then about six months after Murphy's passing,

 the pangs started again and then the hole opened up.

Then the hole became so evident that I knew I needed another dog.

My husband was not convinced.

We talked and debated and argued.

Then one day he said - yes, we need to get a dog.

 

I didn't want to go through the puppy stage, so we opted to look for a rescue animal.

This scared me.

But through patience, and looking at several dogs -

we I found the perfect one.

In fact, when we met him, it was like finding my long lost friend.

 

Redford has been with me for almost a year now.

Redford came to me when our family was "whole".

Redford spent his days at home with the man of the house while I went to work.

Then the earth stood still and my world changed when the man of the house left and never came back.

Redford and I were both a little lost.

But we have spent many hours together.

We go on walks.

We talk.

We love. We snuggle.

 

We play.

We laugh.

He listens, He feels, He comforts.

He knows when I need that extra emotional support and comes to my side.

He lays his head on my chest and looks deep into my soul and I feel unconditional love.

 

 

He smiles at me.

He makes me feel like I'm someone special.

He listens for my car to come home at the end of the day and is waiting right inside the door.

He never complains if I am late or if I'm a little cranky.

He just greets me with a big smile, a happy tail and great spirit.

And then he remains by my side for the rest of the evening.

 

Now I am not now - nor will I ever be - one of those pet owners that dresses up her dog and makes them special meals and carries them in their purses.

If you are - no judgement from me- I just won't be like that.

I don't let him sleep on my bed or be fed from the table.

 

But I have to take this moment to thank RedFord.

I don't know where my life is going to take me this next year.

As I prepare for an eventual move and I continue on my final approach to the ultimate end of this life altering journey - a divorce,

I am grateful that Redford found me.

I do not believe that he was a coincidence.

I believe that God knew I was going to need him and guided our paths together.

He was supposed to be with me to support me through this time.

Thanks Red!

 

And - let it be known -

the bar has been set pretty high.

Should a "man" ever come a calling and want to enter my life on a more permanent basis -

he has some pretty big shoes to fill.

Four to be exact!