Gabbi, a sweet rescue pup, wasn’t a match for Phin and I. She’s still very much a puppy and chews everything in sight. Yesterday she chewed through her foster mom’s leash! I’m sad, but also hopeful that we are one step closer to finding our perfect new pack member.
In addition to continuing the search with Operation Paws For Homes & Washington Animal Rescue League, I’m also crowdsourcing our search. Do you know a sweet, small, adult dog who loves dogs and people and needs a forever home? Phin and I would love any referrals!
The great gift of this last year is that I got to test out having a second dog to keep Phin company without the risk of it not working out. Otis was a fantastic companion for Phin, and still is. Now that we live across town, Phin is missing his buddy and today we’re going to meet a potential forever match for him.
This morning we’re trekking out to the great wilds of Arlington, Virginia to meet a terrier mix named, Gabbi. According to her foster mom, who is a professional dog trainer, Gabbi is about a year old, 20 pounds, loves every single dog and person she meets, and is equal parts playful and calm. Apparently, she is also a real clown who loves belly rubs. She’s housebroken, crate-trained, and quiet with a penchant for chewing on antlers.
I’ve got high hopes for her. I want her an Phin to be best buds. I want her to put Phin’s mind at ease and keep him company day in and day out. I want her to move seamlessly into the pack and settle into her forever home with us. That’s a lot to put onto the shoulders of a little girl like her, and I have a good feeling about this. I mean, look at that smile!
Go slowly in taking the step;
and fast when counting stars.
Make music with your heels,
give back the place to Place,
sing to the sound of the road
and break the spiritful track
with your wide beliefs
in what passes underground
and rises wrung and right: unbound.
~Dolores Kendrick, 2002
In my new neighborhood, there is a sculpture by the metro stop called Journeys by Barbara Grygutis and it has a poem also entitled Journeys by the Washington poet laureate, Dolores Kendrick. I walked by it this morning with Phin and it gave me a magical, cosmic sense of well-being. While these last few months have been intensely stressful in many ways, I now feel a new chapter has opened.
I have so many stories to share in the coming days – about my moving day angel, the value of journeys great and small, taking time to play with puppies, lower chakras, and taking time to settle and root. I am taking it all in—the good and the challenging—and learning.
I bought a new batch of toys for my pup, Phineas, and his friend, Otis, and someone stole the boxes right off our porch. On Sunday, a good Samaritan found the open box with the partial order in an alley and returned it to me with this note. Because they didn’t sign it, I’m hoping that by posting this I’ll be able to find them and give them a proper thank you. Things that are lost can be found, with the little help from the community around us.
Christa Avampato 