The Dog Lady Blog

Emily was brought to me two years by a Good Samaritan after being found running the mean streets of Jeffersonville, Indiana. The vet and I guessed her age to be about 5 or 6 years in 2007 and despite being on my adoptable dog list (via petfinder.com), no one ever adopted her.

Three weeks ago I received a phone call on a Friday night, late, asking about Emily. I let the machine take the call since I was already drowsy, at best, and under the covers with my sleep mates.

The next morning the phone rang at 8am and it was the same caller from the night before. A woman. Very anxious to get info on Emily. I took the call and that's when I learned that "Emily" was not "Emily". I gave her that name after rescuing her in 2007. The caller, LeAnn, informed me that she was 99.99% certain that the dog I was calling "Emily" was in fact her dog "April", who had gone missing over two years before!

We agreed to meet a few hours later at the Marathon station I use an a neutral point. LeAnn was waiting, photo album in hand, and with her were two of her small children. As soon as she saw "Emily" in my truck she got tears in her eyes and cried out, "APRIL!". Emily began wiggling and wagging but didn't try to get out. In fact, she looked to me for a cue. I called her "April", too, and when LeAnn came to the truck window, Emily/April was very friendly but still not budging. In her mind, she lived with me now and even though she readily recognized her former family, she didn't quite understand what was happening.

I put a lead on E/A and we got out of the truck. The children came running at her and suddenly it clicked! "April" emerged and squeals of delight rang out. LeAnn was so happy and proceeded to show me photos of "April" from tiny puppyhood. "Emily" was guess-timated by me to be 5-6 years old, remember? Well, "April" was actually 12 years old! Unbelievable! She is a great example of the physiological benefits of muttigrees. Man, she was a cute puppy, too.

After about twenty minutes of reunification, I was satisfied that not only was "Emily" actually "April" but that she had been very loved and missed by her family. LeAnn gave me a lovely card and a small donation as thanks for taking "such loving care of our April". I loaded Emily into their car, the kids buckled up and then "April" settled him with them, trolling for the half eaten McDonald's scraps the kids had gotten before meeting me. All was right in the world.

As they drove off, I felt a little melancholy. I was very happy for LeAnn and her family and I knew that it was the right thing for all concerned. But I'd had "Emily" for over two years and she not only became one of more popular Animal Assisted Therapy dogs but she slept with me every night and went everywhere I did when running errands. She was a companion.
But she was someone else's dog and they love her very much, too. That's the definition of love, anyway. Letting go, even if it hurts, when you know its for the best.

I've talked to LeAnn about four or five times since and everyone has acclimated perfectly.
A happy ending and I love my happy endings.