Disappointment Turned To Joy

We met this sweet 10 yr. old Beagle-Basset Hound mix dog, Pearl, at the "Meet Your Best Friend Day' at the zoo and couldn't get her out of our minds and couldn't really enjoy the rest of the zoo.  She was the sweetest dog I ever met.  We went back to ask some questions, cost was $125.  This is the picture we took right before we left, feeling bad that we couldn't bring her home because we were going to wait for retirement before getting a dog. 

Then after we thought it over, we decided to go for it and if she was still available even though she was a bit smaller dog than what we had in mind. The next day we called the rescue group that she was associated with and filled out the online adoption application and anxiously waited for a call from them.  Unfortunately, Pearl has an incontinence problem so that just wouldn't work out for us since Gerard and I both work.  The woman told us to try looking on Pet Finder because there are many dogs available and she knew the perfect dog for us is out there, we just need to find it.  We were disappointed.  

The next morning when we prayed together, I told God how disappointing it was and asked that if we were meant to have a dog at this time, that we would find the right one that would be perfect for us.  Thanks to Pearl, I decided to actually look and see if we could find the perfect dog for us.  I went on Pet Finder and found two I thought may be possibilities and showed Gerard.  He said he'd like the one named Gabby so I emailed Barb, the contact person.

As it turned out, we could have her on a trial period for a week to see if we thought it would work.  She said she'd bring it over to our house Saturday morning and Gerard and I were so excited to meet her.  The description said she gets along well with other dogs AND cats which is a must for us.  She is 5 years old and about 10 lbs. overweight so needs a home that will take her for plenty walks to give her the exercise she needs to get down to a healthy weight.   This is no problem for us--Gerard loves to walk!

We fell in love with this dog right away and knew the second day that we wanted to keep her!  I am just amazed at how well-haved she is and how smart and eager to please she is.  I look forward to training her.  She is housebroken and we can leave her alone all day with the cats without any problem.  She had been in a shelter but it got overcrowded so was moved to a foster home to give her more time to get adopted.  Good thing--what a shame it would have been to have euthanized this great dog!  Barb only had her a week before I contacted her and said she just put her up on Pet Finder and that we were the first to express an interest. 

Some people may think this is just a coincidence, but I believe God is always working in our lives and as we delight in Him, he gives us the desires of our hearts.  (Psalm 37:4).  When we have disappointments, we must remember that God knows best, is in control, and continue to trust Him.  Oh, did I mention that this dog is only $70 and that she is exactly the size we've always had in mind of getting?  God is so good all the time!

Be sure to visit Abby's blog at (Abby--Woof Woof tab above).  Spunky and Manny share their reactions to Abby as well at their blog (Cat Corner-Meow tab above).  Be sure to take a look at "The Intruder" video where Manny and Spunky are discussing Abby.  Maybe you should check out Pet Finder too!  It's not just for dogs.  They have all kinds of pets available.