–Law of Attraction and Miska’s Perfectly Timed Arrival

I know it may not make sense to most people to bring a new puppy into the fold so soon after unexpectedly losing our sweet Luna (See “The Rainbow Bridge” for Luna’s story).

But sometimes the Universe arranges things just so, and you know they are simply meant to be. This was one of those times.

We lost Luna 4th of July weekend. That next week was rough for all of us. We felt heavy and sad, missing our loving friend, and I kept replaying the discovery of her broken, lifeless body over and over in my mind.

A Little History

When I started travel nursing almost five years ago, one of the first things I did was gift myself a dog. This dog was going to be MY dog. I anticipated my new role as “dog mom” with great excitement. I made decisions about the size of dog I wanted, it’s temperament, and intelligence (I often referred to Dobby as my “empty nest” dog!). After a great deal of reading and researching, I decided on the Rat Terrier breed (Side note here: I have since become more aware of the number of incredible “mutts” that are overrunning shelters. And of puppy mills. Had I understood back then, I would not have looked for a purebred. But I did, and I am head over heels in love with my Dobby. So here we are…).

“Just Putting It Out There”

In the past we had discussed adding another dog to the homestead, but the consensus was that it wouldn’t be until our old, sweet, tired Mama dog, Babycakes, passed. We never thought that a healthy two-year-old dog would be the one leaving an empty space in our family.

Mike and I were driving back roads, talking about Luna about a week after she died. We discussed the idea of getting another dog, but neither one of us was completely invested in that thought. I had casually looked at some Rat Terrier breeders the day before and immediately determined that I was not shelling out hundreds of dollars for another purebred. We all love the Rat Terrier breed, though: Smart as a whip, comical, small enough to easily handle, and loyal to a fault. Yet we also know that we understand dog behavior and training very well, especially after seeing the beautiful healing we helped Luna achieve. And we certainly don’t need a pedigree for a dog to be “acceptable” to us.

We then decided that while we WANTED another Rat Terrier, we would leave it to the Universe to bring our next companion to us at the perfect time in the perfect way, leaving no doubt that it was destined to be ours all along. No resistant thought. No painful, aching, longing to find our next pet. No hours-long Google searches for breeders. We expressed our desires with no thought as to when or how this would occur; We simply stated what we wanted and left it at that, confident that it would all work out.

Easy As Pie

After that conversation, the subject of getting another dog never came up again. A couple nights later, I was up at 3:00 a.m., getting ready for work. Mike texted me to see if coffee was done; he wanted to stop over before I left.

I figured he had worked on some house plans and wanted to show me. Wrong. In strolls Mike with the cutest little brown and white puppy and the biggest smile on his face. On the way to fireworks the night before, they saw a stray Border Collie walking along the road. Mike’s wife and kids went gaga over it. Mike simply said, “No.”

From the back seat, the kids’ little friend pipes up: “Are you guys looking for a puppy? We have one left and my dad says she has to go. It’s a small dog.” So after fireworks Mike grudgingly takes the family to the girl’s house to see the puppy, dreading having to be the bad guy who says no. Puppy’s parents are both on the premises, and of course, they are both Rat Terriers! Mike is now frantically trying to think of a reason why this just isn’t a good idea. It’s so sudden. Both mom and dad are sociable and well-adjusted. Puppy is 12 weeks old, old enough to go to a new home. She is healthy. She is lovable. She is smart. And……she is ours. For free! And this is how Mike and I manifested the dog we wanted. It is so amazing to realize that we wanted a Rat Terrier, and we didn’t have to do a single thing to get her. Mike was going to drop this little girl off at her home whether or not there was a dog there.

The Little Healer

We all love our Miska. Tending to the needs of a new little one has helped us all work through some of our grief over losing Luna. This is especially true for Luna’s Person, Herm. Having a new puppy to fuss over has given him an outlet for the love he used to shower on Luna. Before Miska came, it was hard for any of us to talk about Luna. But Miska is making it easier to talk about old fond memories, and it doesn’t hurt as much to mention Luna’s name anymore.

Another blessing is enjoying the way Miska is exhibiting many of the same quirky behaviors Dobby had when he was a puppy: The way she zips around, tunneling under blankets, how she loves being wrapped up and snuggling with her people, and her adoration and veneration of the squeaky mini tennis ball Herm gave her is fun to observe. It is such a joy to see her doing the same things that endeared Dobby to us when he was a puppy.

Finding Her Place

The past couple weeks have been a difficult time for both the human and dog population on the Homestead. Our canine friends have had their stability ripped from them-a once cohesive pack has both lost and gained a new member nearly overnight. The dogs are doing well, and we haven’t had any major issues, but we also understand that it will take some time for all of them to find balance and security again. We figure we are looking at a few weeks to a few months until everyone settles in.

We joyfully welcome our newest family member, Miska, and we will always remember and appreciate the incredible way the Universe arranged everything for us to come together.

****Update****

Miska has been with us for a couple weeks now, and has totally settled in. Dobby still grumbles about her occasionally, but he often acts like a cranky old man anyway, so no surprise there. Housebreaking was nearly effortless. She is smart, happy, confident, and loves everybody. We are so glad she made her way to us.