…my new running partner!
Her name’s Belle, and while she might not look like she’s ready to run, believe me — I’ll be struggling to keep up with her!
As you can tell, she’s a tough-nosed dog, born on the streets, made for fightin’…
…or maybe not. Maybe after her tummy rub. Perhaps she’s just the cutest thing ever. It’s also possible that I’m slightly biased.
Belle came to me in a roundabout kind of way: a story of No-Good people and Do-Good people.
I had gotten an email from a friend of mine: her co-worker — the Do-Gooder in this tale — had found a dog muzzled and tied up to a bench outside a laundromat. The dog was hungry and scared, and when Do-Gooder inquired, found out that she had been there for days. She had very recently given birth to a litter; she still was carrying milk.
Now, don’t get me started on the No-Gooders: the person who abandoned her after she gave them the puppies they wanted. The people in the business who KNEW that she had been out there for days (and it’s the Midwest in March! It’s not like it was a balmy 65 degrees outside). It really is beyond my comprehension how people can be like this.
But Mr. Do-Gooder, he took action: untied the poor girl and brought her home with him. Took her to the vet, fed her, got her all cleaned up. And wanted to keep her, but realized that the best thing would be to find a good home for her, as he already had another dog and a small living space.
The email went out to me. And it was like the stars aligned: when I moved last month, one of the big upsides was that I’d be able to get a dog. But – I wanted to wait. Wanted to get settled in and unpacked. Wanted it to be the “right” time.
It seems as though the “right” time picked me … so after exchanging a few emails with Mr. Do-Gooder, I went a met her and was immediately smitten. She was friendly and curious, energetic, athletic and sweet. Everything I had been looking for.
And so, I brought her home with me.
It seems like she’s settling in nicely, too.
It’s been a joy to have Belle around (though – admittedly – she can be a little shit from time to time – good thing she’s so dang cute!) and I think I might have hit the jackpot with the universe dumping her in my lap, without me having to do one lick of work to make her mine.