Bring Home Baby

My husband submitted an application on behalf of both of us a five days before our 25th Wedding anniversary on August 19th, 2013; I did not know what we planned to give to each other until he handed me a piece of paper with a face of a tiny puppy with the name HOLDEN underneath. It took me a few moments to realize what he was telling me- and then the next morning, he played a message for me... we were approved for adoption by ALAQUA ANIMAL RESCUE, In Freeport, Florida- a mere 20 miles north of us! We were flabbergasted and so very excited! We were going to become parents to a dog again! And then, all the anxiety and nervousness settled into a pit in my stomach and I began to nest. I cleaned and moved this around and that around (wasted time, looking back), I even bought a small play toy for the little one and a box of training treats! We woke up on Saturday, August 17th prepared to drive out to ALAQUA ANIMAL RESCUE and bring home HOLDEN but there was rain rain and more rain. Not just rain, but buckets and buckets of the stuff that caused flooding. ALAQUA ANIMAL RESCUE called and left a message asking us to stay home, for our safety. Watching the news that evening , we also discovered another reason- a woman had been arrested earlier that day for hoarding and neglecting over a hundred animals including 97 dogs, many of whom had resorted to cannibalism for survival. Horses and donkeys were found with oozing, gapping wounds- the mental image alone should frighten most people. And the rains continued for days! We decided to wait until Saturday, August 24 and with donations of collars, leads, dog food, laundry detergent, trash bags in tow, we headed north to Freeport. We first looked at some pigs- we even attempted to discussed the idea, but my husband reminding me that my idol, Lou Diamond Phillips has a pig and could we really see ourselves with a pig- that will grow five times the size of the cute piglets before us, but the thought faded quickly as the barks of dogs calling us to come look at them was too overwhelming- we were there to bring home a dog, hoping and praying that HOLDEN was still available. Apparently it echoed in both of our minds. Finally we came to the puppy pens, there was HOLDEN and his brother HIDALGO, a mixed breed of an assumed to be basset hound and beagle, with perhaps a little greyhound or whippet thrown into the pot for good measure, in one pen and in the other was HAWKINS, their brother and another puppy named RITTER. hen we inquired about HOLDEN, we were disappointed to hear that both HOLDEN and HIDALGO and their sister, HARLOW were adopted! We also learned about the history of the litter... About nine weeks ago, four puppies- a female and three males were found in a gunny sack on the side of the road and were brought to ALAQUA ANIMAL RESCUE, where they were bottle-fed and nursed back to health, and they named them HIDALGO, HOLDEN, HARLOW and the runt of the litter, HAWKINS. When we heard that, my husband asked to see HAWKINS, who wrapped both his paws around Bear's hand and wrist and clung onto him for dear life, climbing up as high on his chest as he could. Then it was my turn to hold him. He climbed my chest as well, but wrapped both his paws around my neck and gave me a tiny kiss. That sealed the deal. As we were taking care of the paper work, he fell asleep in my arms! We had our first family photo taken and home we went, HAWKINS clinging to my chest and frightened of his future, but during the trip home, I kept assuring him, whispering calming words into his ears and softly stroking his back, cradled in my arms like a baby, but watch and listening to all the new sounds-a radio and the click-click-click-click of the turning signal and seeing all the things he had never seen before! Flying birds, boats, cars, trucks and in a moving vehicle with strange smells too! It was frightening for him, I am sure, as he shivered the entire way home! Once we got home, Bear carried HAWKINS to the top of the steps and attepted to let him walk about. I panicked and told him to pick him up immediately, which he did, but then set him back down and quickly then picked him up once again, when I told him that the deck's railings were too far apart to keep him retained on the deck!! We looked at each other as I quickly unlocked the front door and we stepped HAWKINS into his new home...

To be continued...