otis has a new home...

a couple of weeks ago, ed met a family at the doggy park for them to meet otis. he came home and said they would be a great fit as they have children and the mom stays at home, which would mean no otis jail for 8 hours a day while we are at work. we didn't hear from them for a week and i started to think maybe they didn't want him. they emailed, however, and said they did indeed want him. so, we arranged to take otis to them this past sunday.

when we got there, everyone was waiting in the front yard and boy were they ever excited to see otis!! :-) i think he was a little overwhelmed at first, but after a few minutes, he seemed to take everything in stride in typical otis fashion.

i know it should be easier, this being the third time we have rehomed a rescue, but this time was the hardest yet. i can't decide if it is the fact that, for me, otis was a perfect combination of all the things i loved the most about penny and lily rolled into one or if it is that we had him a little longer than either of the others. i don't know. but for whatever reason, otis touched me and became so special to me and letting him go was probably one of the hardest things i have ever had to do.

although there were more times than i can count that i wanted to yell at him for destroying something or lock him in otis jail until he stopped jumping and bouncing, otis was so incredibly loveable and loving that you just couldn't stay mad at him for longer than a few minutes. all he had to do was walk over and put his head on my lap and look at me with those big, black otis eyes and i had to forgive him.

watching him blossom into a dog who loved everyone and everything was like watching a little miracle being born. and i will miss that. i'll miss watching him make sure everyone at the doggy park had the chance to pet him or sniff him or chase him or be chased by him. i'll miss having him fall asleep right next to me and immediately begin snoring. loudly snoring. i'll miss watching him play with amos and calvin and the cats.

but most of all, i will just miss him being in our home and being a part of our everyday lives. otis is such a fun, funny, loving, loveable goofy dog and he gave so much to all of us. no matter how many dogs we have in the future, otis will always be special to me. he taught me wonderful lessons about patience, acceptance, forgiveness, living joyfully and loving unreservedly and i will always be grateful to him for that as well as for all the joy, love and laughter he brought into our home and lives.

loa has a new home

loa (aka mommy kitty) went to her new home on friday! she is doing good and has the best new mommy!! her new name is phyllis and she has a new brother named oscar. :-) i'm tickled to death for her and know she is going to thrive in her new home.

kitty update

sadly, the kittens only survived a couple of days. i think the mommy may not have been healthy enough to provide nourishment before they were born and so they weren't healthy enough to survive. it was very sad.

mommy is doing good, however. she is gaining weight and getting healthy. she's a super sweet, loving kitty. very very petite!! she loves to snuggle and cuddle on the couch. i am meeting with someone next week who may want to provide her with a forever home!