Happy Gotcha Day, Lizzard-Angel

Lizzard as Minnie Pearl

Today would have been Lizzard's fourth gotcha day with us. When we got her as a foster, we were "cautioned" that she probably wouldn't live "that long" because of the condition she was in. We prepared ourselves for 6 months, maybe a year. That was in April of 2001.

On September 29th, 2001 at Beach Bound Hounds, I wrote a check for her adoption fee and handed it to the director of Greyhound Crossroads. No pomp, no circumstance...just walked down to her room at the Mariner hotel and handed her the check with "For Liz" written on it. There had not been a single inquiry on our old girl...not ONE...which was all the better for me because I never had to let her go home with someone else.

We celebrated her first gotcha day at Beach Bound Hounds the following year, though Liz had stayed home with Jeany and Bo. All the walking on concrete at BBH was tiring on her old feet, and since Jeany hated the ocean and Bo had a reputation as a red bandana dog we left the three of them with the petsitter. But Hunky and Profee and I rooed at the moon one night in honor of their older sister Lizzard.

Every year we feared that the gotcha day and birthday we celebrated would be our last. Every year we held her and fussed over her and gave her special treats on those days because we weren't sure there would be another one. Every year I'd tell her how glad I was she'd picked me as her momma, and she'd A-WOOF back at me. I'm telling you what, I would give everything I have right now to have another A-WOOF.

Happy Gotcha Day, Lizzard-Angel. You go chase down Bo Bo at the bridge and you two celebrate up there. Mommy will be missing you but celebrating the 3.5 years we had down here. Thanks again for picking me to be your mommy. I didn't save you...you saved me.