A little over a year ago, we said goodbye to our beloved Storm and he took with him a chunk of my heart. This happened too when Suzie, Brandi, Gretchen, Ellie and Maddie left too. The writer of that quote knew what he was talking about ...
On June 22, we received an amazing gift.
Bradley, formerly known as "Mator", had the sheer good fortune to be rescued by a couple who were dog lovers. Alone at a gas station near a busy TX highway he was "saved". The owner was located thanks to an implanted Home Again Microchip but she did not want this sweet boy back. The stars, moon and planets aligned to have Mator in the hands of responsible, loving caretakers. My sweet friend, Vicki, sent me a message on Monday morning. "I have the sweetest dog for you - he was abandoned, is neutered, appears to be housebroken. I want to send him to you, I know it blows your theory about waiting til you were in the new house - but doesn't this make more sense? to mess up the OLD one?" She sort of had me there ..... the next morning before I knew what was happening - he had a plane ticket, a vet appointment and a new air travel approved crate. He would be here on Friday, at the Cargo loading dock at Bradley International Airport .... all the way from Austin, TX.
We told almost no one and spent the next few days shaking our heads in disbelief - how did we know he would be good with the girls? Did we think this through completely? We're trying to build a new house - is this the right time to be transitioning a dog into our family? It is hard to explain, but it just felt "right".
He departed Austin and arrived in Atlanta, GA on time. Then he was back in the air en route to Hartford. Paul took the day off and we headed to the airport. We located the cargo area without any trouble and made our way to the office. It was then we learned the plane had been diverted ... yes, I said DIVERTED to Philly!!!! No worries, this happens all the time they assure us .. the plane is leaving Philly at 4 and will be here at 5, come back at 5:30. I quickly download the Delta app to my phone and watch the departure time change to 5, then 6, then 6:45 ... OMG what the heck??? Finally the status changes to "Boarding" a little before 7 and the landing time in Hartford -- a few minutes after 8. By now, we are beyond anxious ... but by 8:15 his crate was being loaded into the back of the car. We pulled to a quiet, empty section of the parking lot, opened the crate door and helped him to the ground. Paul knelt down beside him and it was love at first sight.
Kristen met him first on Saturday morning and thought it was Storm .. we set her straight and she danced around the living room singing his name. Brooke was in Cape Cod and was shocked when a dog jumped out of the back of the Pathfinder and licked her face. "This is MY DOG ... really, you got us a DOG??"
Bradley Austin Romanski had a new home, new name and a family. He is filling this house with pure, unconditional, unadulterated love !!!! Broken hearts are well on the way to being mended.
