Well... we said goodbye to the dog. She had been a faithful member of our family for almost 7 years. But we weren't the best pet owners this past year. Elliott consumes most of our time and the dog in turn suffered. It didn't help that our new house doesn't have a fenced in yard and I don't like to walk on Sovern because they're aren't shoulders on the road. Sure Briley was happy to lay around napping, play inside, get her tail pulled by Elliott, and just be around us. But I felt she needed a home that was more excited about her.
I began the search via Craigslist.
The first place I visited was a dump! The second inquiry I had was a young family with two children, looking for a companion for their 3 year old son. The woman sounded very nice on the phone. So I loaded up Briley for a visit and made my way to Springfield. I got very excited as just a couple miles from her house I passed a park, approached closer to the river, and saw a nice community. But with each mile the community of houses soon turned into run down trailers. My heart sank... strike number two. I decided to take her in to meet the family anyway. Although the trailer did have an unpleasant smell, it was well kept, and clean. The kids were very cute and interested in Briley and his parents were no stranger to dog ownership. The Dad talked of taking Briley up in the woods and the mom talked of frequent walks. Now I was torn. So I left Briley overnight to see how she would do.
As I got home I just had an uneasy feeling. I had imagined the perfect family for Briley, with a fenced in 2 acre yard, who went jogging every morning, and was the type to take their dog everywhere with them. I did not picture her living in a trailer. But then again... do dogs even care? She would have a family that loved her and gave her attention, and more attention than she was getting in our nice house. I felt shallow but also couldn't ignore my gut feeling. I really thought giving her away to the right family would be easy. So I told the woman I would be coming to get the dog tomorrow, and that her house wasn't the perfect fit. She was upset and urged me to change my mind. I decided to sleep on it and prayed that I would have a clear "yes" or "no" feeling in the morning. I decided to go with the very first thought I had as soon as I woke up.
The next morning I forgot about it and reached for my phone. The woman had sent me a message saying that her son loved the dog, Briley was doing great, and they really wanted to keep her. Well there was my first feeling so I told her Briley was now theirs. I packed up the rest of her things and brought them out to her house. I gave Briley some love one last time and made the family promise to take good care of her. They said they would keep my number if there were ever any problems and that we could come see her whenever. I wasn't expected to cry but as soon as I closed their door I burst into tears (And am again now). I think about her everyday and wonder how she's doing. I called the family last week and they said she's doing great. We miss her, but it was for the best.
The first place I visited was a dump! The second inquiry I had was a young family with two children, looking for a companion for their 3 year old son. The woman sounded very nice on the phone. So I loaded up Briley for a visit and made my way to Springfield. I got very excited as just a couple miles from her house I passed a park, approached closer to the river, and saw a nice community. But with each mile the community of houses soon turned into run down trailers. My heart sank... strike number two. I decided to take her in to meet the family anyway. Although the trailer did have an unpleasant smell, it was well kept, and clean. The kids were very cute and interested in Briley and his parents were no stranger to dog ownership. The Dad talked of taking Briley up in the woods and the mom talked of frequent walks. Now I was torn. So I left Briley overnight to see how she would do.
As I got home I just had an uneasy feeling. I had imagined the perfect family for Briley, with a fenced in 2 acre yard, who went jogging every morning, and was the type to take their dog everywhere with them. I did not picture her living in a trailer. But then again... do dogs even care? She would have a family that loved her and gave her attention, and more attention than she was getting in our nice house. I felt shallow but also couldn't ignore my gut feeling. I really thought giving her away to the right family would be easy. So I told the woman I would be coming to get the dog tomorrow, and that her house wasn't the perfect fit. She was upset and urged me to change my mind. I decided to sleep on it and prayed that I would have a clear "yes" or "no" feeling in the morning. I decided to go with the very first thought I had as soon as I woke up.
The next morning I forgot about it and reached for my phone. The woman had sent me a message saying that her son loved the dog, Briley was doing great, and they really wanted to keep her. Well there was my first feeling so I told her Briley was now theirs. I packed up the rest of her things and brought them out to her house. I gave Briley some love one last time and made the family promise to take good care of her. They said they would keep my number if there were ever any problems and that we could come see her whenever. I wasn't expected to cry but as soon as I closed their door I burst into tears (And am again now). I think about her everyday and wonder how she's doing. I called the family last week and they said she's doing great. We miss her, but it was for the best.
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