How do you know when you're ready to adopt again?

[TorchTheWitch]

12. I've had Yoshi for 3 years now

Sorry, I wasn't very clear in that post. The first one I lost was Kato, and I had to wait 8 months being dogless before I got Boo. Thank heaven's that during that miserable 8 months at least I was working then and could work as much as I wanted. All I did for those 8 months was sleep and work... at work I was able to keep the grief at the back of my mind pretty much since I was always really busy from the minute I got there to the minute I left. As soon as I left though I was again consumed with grief and loneliness with no doggie to go home to.

Boo finally came to me after that long and terrible 8 months, cured me of having lost Kato, and I felt normal again. I still missed Kato, and in the beginning with Boo I'd still cry once in awhile, but most of the time I was laughing again and actually looking forward to going home knowing that Boo would be waiting for me at the door. I couldn't drive fast enough to get there. Though I didn't speed, I was impatient almost beyond endurance to get home to him.

Six years later Boo got bone cancer. He lasted a hell of a lot longer than either me or even the vet expected. He had to take a ton of meds, but other than having to hop around on three legs he was pretty much his old self except that he was still losing weight steadily though he was eating nearly three times what he did when he was healthy. The same thing happened with my dad when he got cancer... I think cancer just eats you up so much that no matter how much food you consume you still have massive weight loss.

After having gone through that hideous 8 months of misery between Kato and Boo I knew there was no way I could go through that again. So even though I still had Boo I knew that every day with him was a gift and any day I might have to make the dreaded decision... and be dogless once again. Even though he was still with me I started the search for the next dog anyway to try to close that gap between dogs.

Turns out I just got lucky. Not quite a month after Boo's passing Yoshi fell from heaven into my lap. I had been starting to wonder if I was rushing things since every photo I looked at of available doggies just didn't move me one iota. Then I saw Yoshi's photo, and I instantly got that melting yet singing feeling in my heart that told me he was for me, and I was for him. I couldn't call the owner fast enough terrified that he'd go to someone else since I was SOOOO certain we were meant for each other. Just a few days later I picked him up. The moment I saw him I burst into tears. He was a million times more wonderful than his picture, and I was beyond thrilled and beyond relieved. At first my boo-hooing took the owner aback until I threw my arms around him and thanked him profusely for offering him to me since I already knew he was exactly the right dog.

The owner got a bit misty-eyed himself. Yoshi was supposed to be his dog. He was bred and meant to be a show dog and one of his stock breeders, but unforeseen circumstances made him have to come to the conclusion that he just wouldn't be able to keep him. But because he was already attached to him the owner was adamant about having him be just a companion dog with someone who would keep him and love him for his whole life, so he was nervous about who he was going to. It was hard for him to part with Yoshi, but he also knew that it was the right thing to do under the circumstances and would be the best for Yoshi so long as he went to the right person - ME!

His father came with him as well since his father puppy-sat during the day and had also become attached to Yoshi, so he came along to say goodbye, and I'm sure as another person the owner could rely on to help assess me and what sort of person Yoshi was going to. As the owner was going to his truck to get Yoshi's bag of chow and a few toys the father told me with tears in his eyes that he knows that his son (the owner) was beyond thrilled with Yoshi going to me as hard as it was to let him go since my reaction at seeing him for the first time made them certain I was more perfect than they'd dared to hope for who Yoshi would live with for the rest of his life. They'd both fretted for a couple of weeks about it, so a lot of their reaction was relief and joy that Yoshi would be going to someone like me.

The owner called the next day to ask how things were going with him, and the first thing I said was that I'd already fallen head over heels in love with him, and no one including him was ever going to pry him away from me. I told him all about what we did all the day and night before, Yoshi's excitement about learning that when he steps on the kitchen trashcan peddle the lid pops up and that he'd do it over and over just to watch the lid pop up and down. I said that when we first got home I let him check out the whole house, showed him where his food and water bowls were and just watched him to see what he'd do. Since I had a feeling even though he was potty trained that he might try to go in the house not realizing that my house he wasn't allowed to do his business inside either. He did start to go into a tinkle squat, so I told him "no", immediately let him out into the yard, he peed, and I praised him like he'd just peed solid gold, and he's never tried to go in the house again.

The owner must have told me a least a dozen times how happy and relieved he was that he was certain he found in me the best person to have Yoshi since he couldn't keep him himself. I guess in the end we both got lucky... I found the perfect dog who dropped from heaven into my lap, and he found exactly the right person he wanted for Yoshi once he realized he couldn't keep him himself that I suppose he believes dropped from heaven into his lap.

Every once in awhile I send him an email to let him know what Yoshi and I are up to, his quirks, funny things he's done and a few photos so he never has to wonder how Yoshi is doing and how we've worked out together. He always responds that he's so thrilled to know how happy Yoshi and I are with each other and thanks me for being the one to take him and periodically sending info and photos. Since I don't think I've sent one in a little over a year I think I'll send off another with some more photos and videos around Christmas time.