Laurie + Blue

I can only call it a nudge from the universe. Not that it was impulsive, mind you. In fact, I had spent the entire year with a simmering addiction to animal rescue websites. I was on a nameless mission without a clue as to the objective. I told myself that looking at orphan dogs was merely a hobby. In hindsight, that year was like tilling the soil in preparation for planting. I was preparing without even knowing it.

So there I was at the shelter, finally seeing real dogs instead of pictures on a computer screen. The barking was thunderous. Desperate voices crying, “Pick me!” Dogs jumped, yelped, and clamored for attention as I walked past. It was predictably heart-wrenching.

Then I saw a furry body that was strangely quiet. She seemed to be focused on trying to melt herself through the chain link, as if that were possible. Her intent gaze could not be ignored. “Could I see that dog?” I asked the attendant. The words tripped out of my mouth before I could retrieve them. Five little words that would change my life. I sat on the dirt outside her cage as he fumbled with the latch, until out bolted 35 pounds of wagging happiness…straight into my lap.

I don’t know how or why, but in a single instant I knew that she was mine and I was hers. Needless to say, I left with an animal that day. It was the best forty bucks I’ve ever spent.

Blue and I are a team now. We run miles into the mountains. We swap stories without speaking. Our bond is so sacred that descriptions are inadequate. I have learned that the most extraordinary things in life often look very ordinary on the surface. That’s the thing about love.

I still wear black, by the way. To hell with the lint brush. I even still travel on a moment’s notice, but only if Blue can come along. Does it complicate things? Just a little. Is it worth it? Oh, YEAH! Because it turns out that I needed a dog after all.