Tyree July 21st, 2008
This weekend Lucy hopped on the FB Village Bus and took a ride to her new forever home. After 8 years of service to her breeder, she has finally found a place to hang up her leash and be adored. Below is a letter that her new family sent to the Village:
“Lucy…you got some splainin’ to do…”
Ricky Ricardo’s words ring in my ears when I see my newly adopted sweet pea, Lucy, run through the house as if she has just been up to something. I laugh over her antics and feel that in just a few short days, she has become a cherished part of my family and life. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
A few weeks ago, I went to my friend Kathleen’s grooming salon to pick up my nine year old pug/poodle Lily from her appointment. Before Lily came out to greet me, a teeny French Bulldog appeared and instantly filled my heart. “Who is that?” I asked Kathleen, as I wrote out my check for Lily’s beautiful summer cut. “That’s Lucy,” Kathleen replied, “She’s eight years old, has had a rough life, and needs a good home.”
I had no intention of adding another dog to my household even though I had felt for years that my partner and I could supply a rescue baby with a very loving home. I resisted the urge to adopt, thinking that it would be too difficult for Lily to go from being the “queen of everything” to having to share “her house” and our affection with another fur baby. I was wrong. Lily has not barked, snarled, or raised her lip in anger once since Lucy arrived. I find them sacked out on the couch together, not yet touching but inching closer to each other each day.
The first time Lucy set foot in our home, she immediately walked over to our statue of the Buddha that is seated on the living room floor. Lucy just stood there and looked at him for a few moments. That day and the next we did not see her drink any water and were getting very worried. I wasn’t even able to get her to drink off of a spoon. She turned her nose up at Lily’s water bowl. Later that evening I emptied the offering bowl on our little shrine to the Buddha and thought, “Well, it couldn’t hurt,” and proceeded to fill the bowl with fresh water and placed it on the floor for Lucy. She just lapped it up and I knew then that she would be all right. Who knows? Had a little divine intervention just occurred? Seemed like a blessing to me.
Our first cherished girl, Lily, is white and only 11 lbs. and Lucy is a very dark brindle (appears black with a white bib and paws) and 15 lbs. so I refer to them as “our little salt and pepper shakers.” The first day I walked them together, neighbors who already know and love Lily literally came out of their houses to meet Lucy. At three different houses, these good people sat on their front lawns and played with the girls. Lucy is so affectionate and just basked in the attention. Our neighbors are wonderful and made sure to give Lily equal time so she wouldn’t feel upstaged by her new “little sister.” 
Our pet sitter said that, with time, she thinks Lily will be close to Lucy and may even begin to mother her a bit. At the very least, they will provide companionship for each other in their later years. How amazing it would be if this little girl who was forced to produce puppy after puppy and endured countless cesareans yet never got to be a mom will now have two moms and a big sister who will lavish her with hugs, tummy rubs and kisses for the rest of her life. We feel privileged and honored to adopt “Lucy Liu” and are so grateful for her loving presence in our lives.
Kirby had his first of three supervised visits for his therapy dog certification this past Wednesday at the local retirement home. The residents all thought he was way cute, and Kirby gave each one of them a lot of attention. Many talked about their dogs they had in the past, and one gentleman was able to engage Kirby in a really good snorting contest.
