On November 30, 2011, I said good-bye to my beloved Golden Retriever, Ivy.  The decision to put her down and the pain of losing her was so heart-wrenching that I didn’t think I’d want to adopt another dog again.  At least not for a long time.

A few months later, I was feeling really guilty about putting Ivy down and I consulted an intuitive about it.  I just wanted the comfort in knowing that I had made the right decision.  She told me that Ivy was happy (of course) and that she “saw a little, white dog.”  She informed me that Ivy was already back on earth and if I ever saw a little, white dog, it was her.  Okay… how many little, white dogs are out there???  Give me a break!  She said I’d know her when I saw her, but I didn’t think much of it.

Then, later that March I had a strong urge to adopt a dog.  I can’t really explain the feeling, but my heart knew the time was right even when my head kept saying “no way.”  I thought it couldn’t hurt to “look” so I went online and checked out some dogs that were up for adoption.   I was immediately drawn to a little, white puppy.  (Hmmm…  By this time I had totally forgotten about the intuitive reading.)  Again, I can’t explain the feeling — it was just a “knowing” that the dog was MY dog.  But I couldn’t go to see him until the next day, so I kept looking.  Pet Smart was holding adoptions that day and had a litter of puppies, so I decided to drive over and check it out.  I held some puppies, even filled out an application for one, but as I drove home, I knew the dog wasn’t mine.

I checked out the little, white puppy again online.  This time, I even filled out the application. Then, the next day I drove to Petco…

As I walked into the store, I could see the little, white puppy in his crate.  He spotted me from across the room and immediately started jumping up and down and whining as if to say, “Finally!  You came!  I’m right here!!”  I swear it was like in the movies when the couple who’s meant to be together has been separated for a long time and they finally reunite at the end.  The lights dimmed, time slowed down — our long hair blew in the wind where there was no wind.  I knew in an instant, he was MY dog.

His name was Milo and he was four months old.  He was the cutest puppy I had ever seen and while I sat and held him in the store, he kept turning his head around to give me kisses, as if he knew I was his mom and everything was going to be okay.  The adoption lady told me my application was approved and all I needed was to pass the home check.  Fine.  No problem.  “So, if I leave you won’t let anyone else adopt him?”  I was already attached and paranoid of leaving my new found love.  “Of course not.  He’s yours.”  She then went on to say that they’d had him for two months and nobody had yet to fill out an application.  Cutest puppy in the world and no one wanted him???  Even she thought it was odd.

So I left…

And I waited… for days… and no one called to schedule the home check.  I started to freak out.  I emailed them.  I called them.  No one responded.  What happened?  Finally, after surviving one panic attack after another, I said to myself — “If Milo’s really MY dog, no one can take him away.”  And I let go.  It was hard, but I had no control over the situation.  I had to surrender.

That day I got the call.  Milo was mine.

“What happened?” I asked, wondering why they chose to torture me by avoiding my calls and emails.

The lady explained that a local TV news anchor woman had come in right after me and wanted to adopt Milo.  The head adoption lady thought that if they gave Milo to her, they’d get a lot of free publicity.  But then the woman on the phone explained that something “didn’t feel right” to her.

(You mean, besides the fact that you promised the dog to ME???!!!)

So she decided to Google me.  You see, I’d been writing this blog and I’d started a Facebook business page.  And for some reason (haha — there are no coincidences) I’d been posting tons of stuff about animals — particularly dogs.  The woman started reading my blog and was so touched by how much I loved animals that she was convinced that Milo should go to me.  “I could see how spiritual you were and I just felt like he belonged to you.”

I couldn’t believe it: My blog got me my dog!!

I was so relieved, happy and excited (and grateful that I had started writing this blog!) I could barely contain myself.

A few days later, I brought Milo home.

Milo has been the light of my life the last year.  I know that people say you should “save a shelter dog,” but I truly believe he saved me.  He has been with me through some of the toughest times of my life — dancing, cuddling and making me smile.

He came into my life with his first task — to teach me to surrender and trust.  If things are YOURS, they’re YOURS and you can’t lose them.  I now apply this philosophy to everything in my life and it helps me to live with much less anxiety and much more peace and joy.

I thought it’d be a long time before I could love another dog again.  I can’t say for sure that Milo is Ivy reincarnated, but he certainly looks like a mini-golden retriever.  And sometimes when I look at a picture of him, his eyes look just like hers.  Regardless, I like to say that Milo fell from Heaven.  No one knows why there was only one puppy (and not a litter) brought into the shelter or even what mix of breed he is.  But the one thing I know for sure is this: he’s MY little, white angel and I’m so grateful I followed my intuition to look for a dog that day.

And Baxter cat is pretty happy too!

With love, For the highest good…

xo, Christy, Milo and Baxter