Luna joined our family when she was 8 weeks old and we were too many weeks to count old.
Our only child was off to college and we had not owned a dog in 5 years. I was enjoying time with my wife and to myself and the freedom to go wherever, whenever.
Clearly, I was blind to the signs of ‘empty nest syndrome’ and my wife was tired of throwing subtle hints my way. Things like “I want a dog.” Or “wouldn’t it be nice to have a dog?” were responded to with an “uh huh.”
Yeah, I’m a typical husband. I thought she meant “wouldn’t it be nice to consider the concept of owning a dog again?” I didn’t know, I wasn’t so sure myself.
So, on a beautifully clear mid-summer, July day, she announced that she was off to the local shelter to rescue a dog: I could join her or not. My first thought: I had just prior to that decided the golf course was calling me. Mmmmmm, golf.
Well, we are married. I have learned a thing or two over the years; I had many options but only one response; “I’ll get the car.”
Our local shelter, in Corinth, NY does a wonderful job rescuing animals of all species and ages. We can’t say enough about the good that they and that all the no-kill shelters do for our partners on this journey we’re all on. Please support your local no-kill shelter.
Luna was one of a litter of 8 mixed breed dogs whose mother had been put down before our shelter could get there. -Please re-read the previous paragraph-. We looked over many litters, many breeds, varied aged dogs and eventually came to this litter of mixed breed pups that shouldn’t have been separated from their mother yet. But they were. They were all huddled in a group in the middle of a pen. All were clearly flea-ridden and obviously suffering from some intestinal malady.
When we came up and leaned over the pen, some of the pups moved away, some of them stayed; one looked up, cocked her large, gremlin-like ears, tilted her head to the side, looked right into my eyes and said “What do you want me to do?” So intelligent. And cute.
That pup was Luna.