This is a story about a dog named Lucky…
“He’s so Lucky / He’s a dog / but he cry, cry, cries in his lonely heart thinking / if there’s nothing missing in my life / then why do these tears come at night?”
The Monday before St. Patrick’s Day, I had no idea how much a Britney Spears song would come alive for me and change my life forever. A small, emaciated puppy was found that day, and the rescuer could not care for the little pup.
The rescuer approached me about the puppy. “No way! I already have so much on my plate, including a toddler, a dog, and a studio. I don’t have time or resources to support a puppy…”
But when I saw that little pup and how adorable and helpless he looked, I reconsidered.
“Okay, we can do a three-day trial to see how this goes.”
The puppy slept a lot, which was a positive. Unfortunately, however, he was not potty-trained at all.
This dog didn’t even want to go outside, let alone potty outside. I believe he feared being abandoned again. We could tell he had attempted to eat sticks because he was without food for too long.
After the three days, I decided to foster him for one week while looking for an owner. I asked a few close family members and many friends, but no one was the right fit. Meanwhile, my schedule became impossible with my toddler going to bed later and later and a puppy who needed to go out 10+ times per day to be trained. I barely made it to my classes, sometimes opening the doors two minutes before class was about to start—or worse, right at 10:15 a.m. I felt so defeated because I was already attempting the seemingly impossible in growing a studio, and now I had a puppy to further complicate life…
But then I noticed something. We gained four new members in one month, beginning after puppy’s arrival to my home. Despite my having to spend more time at home, the studio was growing more than before! He’s my good-luck charm, I thought.
I named him Lucky because he was found the week of St. Patrick’s Day, but now I believed he truly was “one lucky dog.” And from a spiritual standpoint, I believe God rewarded me with studio growth because he saw my heart—God loves to bless those who are generous.
Potty-training was more work than I remembered, but Lucky caught on quickly. I read an article on how to potty-train a puppy in one week, and guess what? That pup was potty-trained in one week. “I don’t have time for accidents, and I have a beautiful yellow rug in my living room? You’re gonna learn today!” I jokingly (yet seriously) told him.
More weeks passed, and I still did not have an owner for Lucky. We had overcome one obstacle in potty-training, but there were still several others: food costs had tripled since Lucky was a large-breed in the making who now needed twice as much food as my other dog. I wasn’t prepared to order triple the amount of the expensive dog food that I buy for Lily. On top of that, he chewed through anything and everything, including toys, books, and even my Zumba sneakers (thankfully an older pair)!
Aside from the destructive chewing, he was an absolute sweetheart. He loved to cuddle, which was fun for Jericho and I because our Cockapoo Lily is not a cuddler. Kindness shined through his eyes. I think he had a humble personality not only because of the situation he came from, but because that was his nature.
We loved Lucky, but I knew that I could not afford to keep him. My deadline to find him a home was May 1st, and that is when I miraculously crossed paths with someone who agreed to help me. She saw me struggling to walk Lucky and Lily with Jericho wiggling out of my arms, and she said, “It looks like she has her hands full.” I replied, “If you want the puppy, you can have him.” To my surprise, she rescues puppies and knew how I could get him to a great place where people would apply (and pay) to adopt him. He could find his forever home.
On Friday, May 26th, the day finally came for Lucky to leave. He had now grown three times the size he used to be when I first got him. He looked happy and healthy and 120% better than he did when I first brought him home as an emaciated, tired puppy. He was now almost six months old.
I had stayed up almost all night so I could play and cuddle with Lucky. That day, my mom stayed with us so that she too could spend time with this sweet dog.
When I finally gave Lucky to the kind lady who was going to help him find a home, tears filled my eyes. I truly wished that I was positioned to keep him, but I reminded myself that I needed to focus on Jericho and Lily at this time.
Sometimes when you love a person, or even an animal, you have to let them go. They are in your life for a season.
When I think back to our time with Lucky, I am grateful for this season. I have never yelled so much in my entire life, as the words “Lucky, NO!” constantly filled our home. But for every “Lucky, no” there was also an “aww, how cute” because of how much fun he was, zooming around on his little legs and playing with toys nonstop.
Lucky taught me patience that I thought I already had. He touched our lives, and I am trusting God that he will find the home he truly deserves.