I am so happy to get to post about this....
INTRODUCING.......
CALAMITY JANE HARTFIELD!!!!
Yep, we're now a family of 6. :)
I love this girl so much.
So, after the Goldie incident I made Evan take back all the stuff we had bought. I didn't want to think about getting a dog because I was truly that broken hearted over Goldie!! (Lame, I know) However, I kept in contact with the dog director at the animal shelter and she invited me to come to a volunteer orientation and start spending time at the shelter. I'm already on their FB page daily and know some of the volunteers so I figured, why not.
So Saturday, I met up with my friend Beth and we went to the volunteer orientation where I decided not to help with the dogs but rather, the cats and eventually help in the office. Totally up my alley, easy and would offer me some ME TIME! After we signed out paperwork and played with some dogs and chatted with Amy, the dog director we headed over to Beaus Bath and dog spa to check out their event going on with several rescue groups, low cost vaccination clinic, raffle and food. Had no intention of getting a dog despite Beth's attempts.
We walked into the show room and there she was. She was on a leash by the Animal Shelter table and doing this excited dance and bark/howl beagle call. You couldn't miss her. I walked by the pug rescue group and sat and loved on the great pyramease group (giant, white, fluffy, teddy bears!) Beth pointed at her and said, she's cute! So we walked over where I met Karen, a lead volunteer and Calamity's foster mom. I've seen her but never met her. We chatted about the shelter, Amy, dogs and the weather and all the while, I'm on the ground petting on Calamity and falling in love with her smile.
Karen tells me her story, She was dumped in Hickory Creek at the Walmart, was taken to the Hickory Creek Animal Shelter and then a short time later Fostered by Karen and she was waiting to be adopted. You could tell Karen loves her, she really does. I jokingly sent Evan a picture msg of her with no thought other than "Look who I'm playing with" and he responds with ":/ is that the one you want?"
I just looked at Beth, I seriously wasn't thinking of adopting her, she's not what we were debating on, she's a beagle, she's a fat, senior dog who'll just sleep all day.....right? Karen was asking me if I was interested and I just said in that "no not really...maybe" kinda tone "I'm not sure" so then Karen tells me her qualities...She's house trained, she's crate trained, laid back, has a small anixety when you leave or come in the house, gets along with other dogs, wouldn't care about cats probably, loves kids..yadda yadda...
The whole time I'm seriously not seeing her as a dog I would have, but I'm also not leaving her side or have I stopped petting and loving on her. Karen shows me the 2 other dogs they had at the moment and we were interrupted by the owner or manager of Beaus Bathhouse (I wish I could remember her name!). She was making sure Karen didn't need anything when she saw me petting on Calamity. "Are you thinking of adopting her?" I looked at Karen and asked how much her adoption fee was (you know, thats a big thing on rent week) and she says 120$. I did not have that much to spend on a dog. Beth knew this and chimed in with, "I'll pay and you can pay me back, you need a dog!" to which that sweet woman looked at Karen and said "Oh no! I'll sponsor her! She needs a home today!"
Did that just happen?!
So I text Evan and let him know "she's ours" and am lead to the bath house with Karen and the lady who runs the place. As I'm filling out the paperwork the staff spruces Calamity up with a pretty bandana and some puppy spray and trims her nails. :) Karen then tells me she brought her crate and bedding if I'd like it to take with me since it's Calmity's anyway.
Seriously, Now I'm getting a free crate and her bedding?!
Then that sweet woman returns to my side with this giant basket and hands it to me and says it's for adopting Calamity. It has a leash, a collar, food, treats, a brush, toys and 2 other bandanas in it.
Are you kidding me right now?!
So I walk in with Beth just passing time and checking the place out to leavng with a new baby, a crate, bedding and every supply I'll need for at least a week? And it only cost me $20.
Yeah, after the past 3 weeks of emotional garabage she was so what I needed. I'm sorry but this is all a God thing. How on earth could everything have lined up to lead me to her and then to have a stranger sponsor her and then give me everything I'd need for her?
She has settled in perfectly!! She loves walks and being in the car. I took her to the dog park Monday and she had a blast! She's afraid of Gus and Paris but as of today they no longer run, hide or hiss at her so lots of progress there. She loves her crate and the living room rug to take naps in, she also snores like a freight train but once she loses some weight that'll change. We've named her Janie for short but since she knows her name from the shelter I'll call her Calamity Jane when she goes in the kitchen or needs to come inside and she knows she better listen to me when I call her that. :)
Avery could have cared less but is slowly starting to pet her on the head or ask me if she can give "Jayme" a treat. :) Evan wasn't too keen on a little dog or a beagle but once he got to see her smile and she shook all over with excitement and did her happy bark/howl show for him...he was a goner. You should see her when he comes home, he has to drop everything and go to her to calm her down, she gets SO excited to see him.
:)
