I read somewhere that the moment you decide to spend your life with a dog, you fall in love, while also knowing you’re signing up for a heartbreak one day.
Earlier this year, Butters was diagnosed with kidney disease, and our hearts broke into a thousand little pieces. As the months went on, we slowly came to accept the harsh reality that she was in the final phase of her long, beautiful life. We spent many weeks crying over the thought of losing her. What keeps us going are the good moments: when she eats her food, devours treats, or jumps on us when we come home. On any day she does even one of these things, we know it’s a good day.
Today, we chose love again and adopted a dog we named JoJo.
After Rosie passed on, Jay and I have been talking about possibly getting another dog. The timing never felt right, nor did we see any dogs at the local shelters we’ve been visiting here and there.
For years now, Jay has been following an organization called Amazing Dog Rescue, which brings stray and surrendered dogs to adoption events across California.
Online, we saw a dog named “Bacon,” and something about his expression immediately drew me in. We didn’t know if we’d feel a real connection, so while staying open to adopting, we tried not to get our hopes too high. Luckily, the moment we met him, we knew JoJo was meant to be part of our family. We brought him home and took him on a long walk with Butters and Lonnie. It seems they have accepted him into the pack.
As I write this, Butters and Lonnie are on the bed, and our newest family member, JoJo, has finally settled into his crate beside us. At four months old, he has a lot to learn… and all of us have a lot to teach. I’m hopeful that between the four of us, JoJo will get the love, guidance, and play he needs to grow into the amazing dog he’s meant to be.
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