Friday, February 22, 2008

She Chose Us!

This is Chelsie---she is the fourth member of our family. We adopted her, but she chose us. Our life is enriched because she is apart of it. We didn’t intend to fall so madly in love with her—it just happened.

A few years ago I had to put our family pet, Divot, to sleep. It was such a traumatic experience for me that I told the family “No more dogs!” That lasted a couple of weeks. Don wanted a golden retriever—our favorite breed, but I didn’t want to do the “puppy training” again, so I contacted a golden retriever rescue to see if there was an older dog available for us to adopt.

Now, the process for adopting a dog from the rescue rivaled that of adopting a child. There was an astronomical amount of paper work; as well as home visits and background checks. When our “case worker” brought Chelsie to our house the first time, it was simply to see how we interacted with a dog. You see, Chelsie had been promised to another family. When Chelsie entered our house it was as if she were already home. We took to her immediately and she obviously loved us. She even sat at the back door and cried when Chandler ran back into the house to find a ball for them to play with.

This was not what the caseworker expected—this dog instantly bonded with us. As we watched Chelsie drive off that day, we were left with an empty feeling. Later that evening, we received a surprising email from the caseworker. She had taken Chelsie to the other family, but the visit didn’t go quite as well as she expected. She told us that she was “re-thinking” Chelsie’s adoption. Excited beyond belief, we actually prayed that we would be chosen. A few days later we got a call. Chelsie was to be part of our family—she had chosen us.

Ever since the day we signed the adoption papers, this dog has been an important member of our family. She is gentle, loving and so very affectionate. She has never run off—she doesn’t need a leash. She learned to “sit”—after her first lesson; she shakes, lies down and clearly loves us unconditionally. I laugh at the saying that “I long to be the person my dog thinks I am”, but with Chelsie it fits--if only I could be that person.

She loved Don. They spend hours together, and when he died Chelsie mourned with the rest of us. The vet even prescribed doggie Prozac for her. Now, she is closest to me. She has become my self-proclaimed protector. Wherever I am in the house, that's where you can find her. In these weeks of “counting my blessings”, Chelsie is one of God’s greatest.

This I know for sure.

7 comments:

Tanja said...

What a very sweet post! You are lucky she chose you, that you have such a wonderful companion in her.

Tanja

Ann said...

That is how it was with our dog, Alex, when I was young. It is not how it is with Cat though who has been living in our garage since the first great lice outbreak. Not really sure what to do about her. She was feral too long, I think, and we haven't found anyone yet who will take her.

Sometimes people and animals just click like they are part of our soul family.

Tanja said...

Oh by the way Marsha, I love the way you show what you are reading, and I hope you don't mind that I took that over on my blog.

Often I feel so enthousiastic about a book, and now I have a way to share it with others. Thanks!

Marsha said...

YOU GO GIRL-- I often tell those in my workshops---I don't have an original thought in my head---
blessings,
marsha

Trish said...

Where's your baby, Chelsea? Find your baby! :-)

Anonymous said...

You can't leave out your NEIGHBOR that loves to walk/run with Chelsea, or shall I say that she takes me for a walk/run.
She is a joy! I anxiously await some days minus sleet, snow, and freezing temps so I can take my "gal" out and about the trails of Forsyth!
Suzanne

Anonymous said...

Well... your words left me in tears. Happy ones! I'm so happy for Chelsie and your family. I rarely hear from the dogs I've placed, and it's a good feeling to know that Chelsie is so secure in her family, and to know of your love for her, Marsha. My heart still "lurches" when I think of Don leaving you at such a young age, but I understand how wonderful he was, and God must have really needed him. Thanks for sharing your love with us.
Hugs,
Christi