What were the chances?

Reece has been asking for one specific thing for quite some time now. This "thing" happens to have four paws and fur. Uh huh, I know. But since his last birthday, the idea has not died. A whole year and he's still asking for a dog.

I grew up with all kinds of pets; fish, turtles, ducklings, rabbits, kittens, cats, puppies and dogs. We've had mixed breeds and pure breeds, hunting dogs and companion dogs and cats. You name it. At one point, my parents had four kids, 3 hamsters, 2 cats, an dog and a rabbit. What can I say, we loved our little zoo.

Sure, pets are hard work. They can be expensive (though generally speaking, cats are waaaay less expensive to care for than dogs.) They get dirty. They make messes we must clean. They can be smelly, sometimes even when they're clean (have you ever smelled a wet dog? Ick!) Some shed. Some aren't well suited for children. And you know, they can infringe on your freedom to come and go. All this is true.

But there is a flip side. A good pet is a good companion, and a good companion is wonderful company. When you've had a bad day, a good pet is happy to see you. When you're at your worst, a good pet doesn't seem to mind. When you're sad, a good pet can really be a source of comfort (something about that unconditional love.) And children can learn so much from a good pet. Compassion. Caring for "someone" outside themselves. Patience. And lessons about living and dying, and learning that good memories are ours to keep forever. These are just some of the terrific things about having a good pet.

So you see where I'm going with this, right? This whole, "I want a dog," thing with Reece. He just wouldn't let it go. And his birthday is in two more days. Last week I explained to him (and read the resulting disappointment in his eyes yet again) that I was sorry, that he would not be getting a dog this year either.
It wasn't that we were totally against the idea.
It's just that we had our,.......our rules.
Rules like, "No dog until all people in the house are potty trained first."
Or, "No dog until we have a run added to our backyard fence."
Or how about, "No dog until summer, when we can devote more time to training."
But yet......sigh. Reece was just sooo looking forward to "a real dog." Have you ever read the Debbie Maycomber book Where Angels Go? Among other dilemmas in the book, a little boy wants a dog with all his heart (trivial note; the angels' names are Surely, Goodness, and Mercy, lol.) Anyway, the boy in that story wanted a dog in the worst way, just like my Reece.

Fact is, I've been checking local humane societies, rescues, and breeders for quite some time now. We definitely have a preference for one particular breed, the Lab Retriever. For us, there simply is no better dog for kids (you're entitled to your own preferenc and opinion, but for us Labs win, hands down.) I occasionally would find a Lab mixed breed. Or a very senior Lab (which would be fine for Carl and I, but there's more to consider there with four active kids around a senior dog.) But otherwise, I didn't have much luck on locating a pure breed Lab and the local rescues' fees were more than we could afford at this time anyway.

The other night, I tucked Reece in and again reminded him that a "real dog" would not be unwrapped for his birthday again this year (he often brings the topic up as I tuck him in.) On a whim, I decided to check rescues and humane societies further away from us, something I had not done in the past. I found a humane society several counties away and noted that their fees were much more reasonable than our local area. "That's good," I curiously thought, "but I'm sure I won't find the dog we're looking for." I mean, I'd been searching for a year. What were the chances? Famous last words (literally.)

I began searching through the list of available dogs. A very cute Lab mixed breed caught my attention. "Hmmm, could make a great pet. I mean, she's cute as can be, on the small side, and....maybe." I was curious about her, but continued on down the list. As I neared the end, I came across a dog that made me lean in to my screen for a closer look.
I was truly surprised.
There it was, a purebred Lab Retriever, and only 10 months old.
"No way! Can't be!" But it was. We have a preference for female dogs and this was a male. But wait, does it say his name is..........Cleveland?

Really???

Okay, my heart raced a bit as I began to think it was meant to be. We moved to IN several years ago from Cleveland, and now we were coming full circle, metaphorically speaking. Yes, this dog's kennel name was Cleveland. I felt compelled to run this one past Carl and we both agreed we should "just go look." HA! As any Lab lover knows, there is absolutely NO SUCH THING as, "Just go look." If you're looking, a Lab is coming home with you. This is why Carl and I have avoided "just looking" for soooo long now.

So we did. We packed the kids into the van on Monday and made the drive to the humane society, over 90 minutes away. Our intent was to check out the female mixed breed and the pure male Lab. When we pulled in though, Carl said, "Ut oh. There's the female now, walking with those people out in the field." Sure enough, it was her. While we waited in the office to see the available dogs, hoping the Lab was still there, the couple came in and announced they would be taking the female mix. I'm glad we got to see her. She was very sweet, gentle, and great on the leash. But I'm fairly certain we would not have selected her. That's because the male Lab was indeed still there and we all fell in love with him immediately.

We took him out of his kennel and ventured outside with him on a leash. Carl took him for a walk through the field. He loved on our kids. They loved on him. He was HAPPY to be with us and we noticed our kids were happy to be with him. A "pros and cons" discussion quickly followed, the result being that I went back inside and stated, "Our family is in love with Cleveland and we would like to adopt him."

Paperwork was started as I chatted with the office worker. She informed me that we were "lucky" to see and adopt our dog, as Central Indiana Lab Rescue had been notified and he was scheduled to move there within 24 hours. We had visited in perfect time. She also told me that they weren't sure he knew his name, Cleveland, or if it was even his official name. She asked if we would change the name. We all kind of liked Cleveland, but it was by chance that so many things fell into place and so we decided that CHANCE should be his new name.

He is being neutered and micro-chipped before he comes home with us this coming Saturday. We were glad for the extra time to gather all the things we'll need to make our home his home as well. We found a crate on Craigslist for a good price. Food, toys, feeding and water dishes, snacks, and a chew bone are now purchased and ready. All we need is our handsome boy, Chance. When you see him, I'm sure you'll agree.

Toni