Our reunion was ecstatic. At first when Becca walked her out, Dionne didn't notice me sitting on a sofa in the waiting area. Then she recognized me and almost burst out of her skin, exploding with happiness. She lunged to the end of her leash and climbed up into my lap, 58 pounds of wriggling Labradorean pleasure.
It was irresistible, contagious. Becca and I laughed, sharing Dionne's unrestrained delight. I drove her home, and she repeated the performance at the sight of Tucker and Steve.
We slipped right back into our old routines, but a key subroutine -- her almost ceaseless search for mischief -- has been missing. She seems calmer. She's much, much easier to live with. We leave the back doors open and she goes outside and, for the most part, nothing terrible happens. (I don't think a hole or two is terrible, though Steve might disagree.)
But, as it turns out, her stay with us won't be permanent. Ten days from now, she'll depart for a new life in Davis, California. How we made that decision is complicated, but the short version is that we became aware that some stellar dog lovers who lost their beloved 15-year-old CCI release dog last spring were ready to take a new dog into their life. After some thought, we decided Dionne would be even happier with them than she would be with us, as we're planning to start raising another pup in November. In Davis, Dionne will be the sole recipient of a lot of loving and devoted attention. We checked with Stu in Oceanside, and he gave his blessing to their adopting her. They should have all the papers filled out and the adoption fee paid by the time they drive down to get her next week.
She, of course, knows none of this. But we think she'd happy if she did know. CCI puppies are nothing if not resilient. Not to mention relaxed:
Our next CCI puppy is NOT going to get away with this. (We've taken the pledge.)
The photo changes up the meaning of, It's a dog's life!"
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