Freaky Friday...

Late this afternoon, Jeff and I took Chance to be put to sleep. It was a very emotional trip for us. Afterwards, we picked Michael up from his after school program and brought him home to break the sad news to him. As expected, Michael didn't handle our loss very well. The 3 of us sat together on the couch until the emotional storm had passed. Then I went to the kitchen to start dinner while Michael and Daddy sat quietly together watching one of Michael's favorite cartoons.

Off our kitchen is our laundry room and off the laundry room is our garage. While I was making dinner, I thought I heard an animal scratching at the laundry room door. I started towards the laundry room and all of a sudden a dog jumped up in the window of the door that leads to the garage.

I threw the biscuits I was making and immediately started screaming and crying. My emotions were still raw and a dog at the door totally freaked me out. Jeff came running to see why I was so panicked. He looked out the door and there was a dog looking back at him. He went out and checked the dog's collar. She had a license and a tag indicating that she has been micro chipped. But when Jeff called the microchip company, he was told that the owners never registered the dog so they couldn't tell us who she belongs to.

So, we have brought her in the house for the night since it is snowing and the temperatures are supposed to drop below zero tonight. Tomorrow we will call the SPCA (she has a tag from them also) to see if they can help us track down the owners. In the meantime, she is pretty comfortable with us. She went to Chance's toy basket and out of all the toys, picked up Chance's favorite. She also laid down in front of the fireplace where Chance always laid.

Now, she is cuddled up next to Michael in his bed. I think it has eased Michael's pain to have a dog with him tonight. Jeff and I are wondering if she was sent by Chance as a sign that she is okay. I know not everybody believes in that sort of thing, but we do.

My Aunt Florrie believed when you lost someone you loved, a dog came into your life. For instance - when my mother passed away, someone gave my Dad a stray dog that has totally taken over his life. Aunt Florrie believed that Girl was sent to Dad by Mom. Now that Aunt Florrie recently went to heaven herself - did she send this dog to comfort us in our grief?

Even if we find her owners and return her to them, she has made this first night without Chance easier to bear for all of us. Please keep Michael in your thoughts and prayers, JoAnne.