Wella

Lindsey and I conclude our conversation; I lay my phone on the nightstand, hit the restroom and return to my perch on the edge of the bed. There’s a knock on my door. Finally! I get to meet my new partner!

I open the door all the way, take a couple of steps back, and drop to my knees, so that Wella and I are closer to the same level.

“Here she comes,” says Larissa, who is accompanied by one of the other staffers who has agreed to video our meeting for me. The staffer hands off the leash to Larissa, who then removes it once my door is shut.

Wella bounces into the room and begins to sniff around excitedly.

“She’s checking things out,” Larissa says.

“Come here, pretty girl. Can I check you out?” I ask. “What a happy girl,” I say, as the wagging of Wella’s tail causes it to thump repeatedly against the wall.

“She’s a beautiful dog,” says Larissa. “She has a beautiful soft, shiny black coat, and chocolate eyes.”

I run my hands over the sweet, excited dog, and am amazed by the softness of her coat—It’s like satin—especially her ears, which are the softest part.

“Oh, she likes you,” Larissa comments, as Wella checks me out with her cute little nose, panting excitedly. Wella ecstatically moves around me in a sequence of quick little hops on all-fours—jumping for joy—as if she had springs on the bottoms of her feet. I can tell she might have been a “jumper-onner,” if she weren’t so meticulously trained. Out of nowhere, she surprises me with an enthusiastic kiss on the nose. We all laugh.

“Would you like to put the leash on her?”

“I’d be honored.”

Larissa hands me the leash. Still kneeling, I attach it to the O-ring on Wella’s collar, and shorten the lead.

As Wella continues to wag, I notice that not only her tail, but her entire back half is in motion. I just LOVE seeing such joyful spirit in a dog.

“You’re a wagger! I wanted a wagger!”

“Well, she’s your dog now.”

I rise to my feet, as Wella moves forward, anticipating Larissa’s exit.

“I know you want to go with them, but it’s time for you to stay with Me now,” I assure her.

They exit the room, and I take a seat on the floor, beside my bed and Wella’s fleece sleeping mat. She lies down on the mat, and I begin stroking her black satin coat. Almost immediately, this precious dog is on her back— allowing me the privilege of her trust. I begin rubbing her belly, and she falls fast asleep within a couple of minutes.

I continue the belly rub for quite some time, speaking softly to her all the while. I thank her for being the dog that will change my life, and wonder aloud about the many adventures we’ll share on our journey together. Wella—what an answer to prayer you are! What a perfect dog! You are everything I hoped you’d be.