I've got a Full House

I didn't win any money, but I hit the puppy lotto this week. There's nothing better than puppy therapy, and this week, I got it times five.

The big goofy one on the left has been with me for over a year, as I adopted him when he was six weeks old. Out of the others, you can play the Sesame Street game "which one of these is different from the others" and you'll see Madison. She's a pretty little cocker spaniel/chow mix. I fell in love with her at animal control over a week ago, and couldn't wait to bring her home. She was so timid and so afraid. She'd rather run to the back of the cage than get a reprieve. I didn't let her get her way, and brought her home. The day I went to get her, was the day I met the other kids.

I try to visit animal control at least once if not more a week. There are so many great animals that end up there, and no one ever knows. People have always told me they just couldn't do it, they would be heartbroken to have to go in and see all the sad faces. How easy do you think it is for those who work there? Even for me, on a day that I know I only have one space for one particular size or breed of dog, to spend over an hour, temperament testing, debating, pacing, determining to pick just one. It's not easy. But when Mark called out to me as I opened the Montero door that day, I knew I was snowballed. He kept at me the entire time I was trying to get a big box of dog chews unloaded from my vehicle that I had brought for the canines to bide their five days in captivity. All he could do was grin when he unlocked the gate and locked me in. He didn't even have to show me where they were; I just knew.

And that is how Catalina, Carleigh, Cassie and Maverick came to stay with me as well. I didn't really have the room, but I knew I could find them the homes. So I just gave them more of mine.

Last week, Aaron came over to help me measure out the space in my home that is used for the rescue. We found the only part that isn't is my bedroom, and that's the smallest room in the house. But I've always believed that love grows best in smaller spaces. I remember hearing that song in high school, when I lived with my parents on a boat so they could achieve their dream (it may sound like a lot of fun, but let me tell you, this was not a yacht by any means). I can't sit anywhere without adding dog fur to my wardrobe, and I can't walk without four other feet tripping mine, but I couldn't imagine a more fulfilling life for myself.