The journey to fill a void...

For the past month or so, the kidlets have been on a mission. They've been pulling at the Husband and I until we caved (We being me, the Husband just followed). We tried to resist and stand tall together, but deep inside, we knew they were right, we were ready. Enter the fill to our void, appropriately named by the kidlets, Bella:

 

She's a doll isn't she? I know, it's unlikely. The kidlets, they banded together against us and won. They wanted a dog. Not just any dog, but a small dog. A dog that could wear sweaters and was smaller than them and would be all snuggly. My first choice for something small was an Italian Greyhound. So I set out to find one. 

You know what I found? That I can't stand rescues that clearly have no urgency to adopt out their animals. I've done work with animal rescues most of my life. And what I can never get past is how they make people jump through hoops, tell them "You must have W, X, Y, and Z all approved, and then email us before we'll even answer you." And when you complete all of the above, and then they still don't call you? Seriously, no one should have to beg to pay money and save an animal. It's just silly. 

So anyhow, I turned to my trusty friend, Craigslist. And I came across a great lady who has her own rescue, but she does cats, dogs, geese, ducks, horses, llamas, anything. I think she's really like the animal whisperer, they must just show up at her door. But she sprung Bella from the pound. And through speaking to her, we realized that Bella had all the qualities we were looking for in a companion. Most importantly, she did not have the qualities we didn't want. And now, she's our dog. And we love her. And I'm pretty sure she's happy to be a part of our family, too. I mean, just look at her sitting so pretty in her new winter coat: 

 

She is truly a great dog. She loves rides in the truck, she gets super-excited to put on a sweater or coat, she adores the kidlets, and she even burrows under the covers at night. (When I don't want her in bed with me & The Husband, she does so in the Daughter's bed!) But you gotta watch her tongue, she gets a bit excited in the morning and tries to clean off your face: 

 

I mean, look at that thing! It's huge! 

Welcome to the family, Bella!