Being a dog mom to two rescue pups has always been a part of my view of what motherhood would look like for me.
When we rescued Hope & Coach from a Texas shelter I knew that this journey would change me forever in ways that I wouldn't know until I experienced them. We searched for months on pet finder to see if we could find the perfect match for our family. We knew that we had enough room in our hearts for two, and our home was already dog friendly.
We did a lot of "ooo-ing" and 'Aww-ing" over the puppies that were available but we quickly reminded ourselves that we didn't quite have the mental capacity to go through all the puppy stages and keep our sanity. I am so busy running my business and our household while my husband works a very physically demanding job and is exhausted by the end of the day.
After filling out the application to adopt Hope we inquired about adopting one of her siblings as well. The shelter director advised us to adopt outside of her litter because when they both reach sexual maturity there will usually be a more dominant dog, which doesn't allow for the other dog to fully come into their personality, especially with two females. So we continued our search.
I will never forget the day that we received the phone call from the shelter about a potential second dog available for us. It just happened to be the morning of our wedding! I was busy doing my hair when my phone lit up with the words "Lubbock, Texas". At first, I was slightly puzzled " Who would be calling me from Texas, and on my wedding day?" and then it dawned on me, "It must be the shelter!"
We talked for a while about the adoption protocol and the information I had to provide to ensure that we were the right fit for their program. I mentioned that we were wanting to adopt two dogs and she excitedly suggested one of the dogs that had become shelter mates with Hope. She told me that " They have really grown to love and trust each other, Hope relies on him to show her all the fun ways to be a dog, and she is so loving and affectionate toward him". For me, that sealed the deal.
Later that day she sent us a photo of Coach and it was love at first sight! We knew that they were going to our dogs. We finalized our choices before we said our I do's that day. They would be ours in a month's time.
Fast forward to today as we celebrate our first year of marriage. In about a month we will be celebrating our first full year with them.
I often wondered if I would ever have the chance to experience similar milestones that mothers of human children experience. I wondered if I would experience the pride a mom does when their child does well in class or behaves with the manners they were taught.
I am delighted to report that this style of motherhood suits me well, all of the milestones and the difficult times are present. I love watching them grow every day, and I wouldn't change a thing.
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