by Rachel McGinnis
Mourning the loss of a pet takes a toll on all of us. When are you ready to add to your family? Will you ever be ready? Is it too soon? Did I wait too long? All of these things that went through our minds. I must say from experience, everyone is different.
Many of you know that Patrick and I had the loss of our Maltese, Gnocchi, a little over two years ago. After a two year battle with congestive heart failure, Gnocchi found the rainbow bridge. He was an awesome dog and we couldn’t have asked for a better member of our family. He is missed daily.
So many reasons to not get another pet became the norm. We’re too busy, we work too much, we want a rescue but we have certain things we are looking for, my last pet was perfect. How can I replace him? Will we ever find the “right one”? Were things I questioned along the way. The answer is, you will never replace them. You just have to put feelers out there and start looking. No pet is ever perfect, but that is what makes them awesome. Everyone has flaws. You make time for the things you want to make time for. Only you know when the time is right.
I filled out a profile on Petfinder. Every few days they would send me a list of pets they thought were going to be a good fit. All looked cute. All had stories that would make you want each and every one of them. How do you really “know” if he/she is going to be the right fit? You just know… that’s all I can say.
Tuesday, I saw “the one.” Young, under three years old (we wanted as much time with them as possible), non-shedding (for allergic family members), rescue a must (there are so many of them out there that just need a chance), medium size (so when we bring to the store they are sturdy enough), good with other dogs (same reason), good with children (we have a one year old grandson and lots of nieces and nephews), good with cats (just in case… you never know what your future holds). Tall order to fill right? Nope! We got it all.
Don’t get me wrong, we have things to work on. Late neutering and in a home with lots of other boys, we like to mark. Ten months old, and we have a ton of energy. Velcro dog, great for my nurturing side, but I think I may break my neck by the end of the week. Neurotic from being bounced around from home to home. Standoffish to men, hmmm, didn’t know about that one.
But you know what? 24 hours in and I wouldn’t change a thing or trade him for anything. His name is Riptide, he is a Cavapoo, 25 pounds, and has eyes that will melt anyone’s heart. People have said he is Lucky to have us. I think it is the other way around. We are Lucky to have him.
Just wanted to share and can’t wait for everyone to meet him, once we have more manners. Thank you to everyone that told me, “You just need to do it.” We did and I couldn’t be more thrilled. -Rachel
