It was a Monday night, and we were getting ready to meet some friends for a going-away dinner for our friend, Dave. Three of our friends (Emily, Ryan S, and Ryan C) were meeting at our house to carpool. We got a call from them when they got here saying there was a small black dog on our front porch, and she looked injured. We walked outside, quickly realized that this dog wasn't dangerous, and I knelt down to see if she would come to me. She instantly tried to wedge herself between my legs and get as close as she possibly could. The poor thing was cold, wet, and hungry. She was also limping and had all kinds of cuts on her back legs. She had a collar but no tags. We couldn't just look the other way, so we brought her inside. We kept her separated from Jenny since we didn't know if she had any of her shots. Parker went to dinner so that one of us could be there, and I stayed back with this little girl. We fed her, and I wrapped her in blankets and just sat with her for a while. She was so sweet and clearly loved people. She cried and whined the minute I left the room, but she was so content when I was with her.
Since she had a collar, she obviously had to belong to someone. The next morning, Parker and I went door-to-door for almost two hours showing pictures of the dog, who we were calling Darla. Nobody had ever seen her. We live right next to a dirt road, and in all likelihood, someone dumped her and she walked to the first house she saw: ours.
We took her to the vet to see if she was microchipped. Of course, she wasn't. We decided to have the vet examine her, x-ray her, and give her all of her shots since there was no way to tell if she had ever had any. Honestly, as much as I wanted to help Darla, it was difficult to say yes to the x-rays, shots, etc. since I knew this would not be cheap. It was hard for me to rationalize spending so much money on a dog that really wasn't ours, but Parker was so confidant and sure that this is what we needed to do. He was so passionate and selfless about helping her, and he was such a wonderful example for me to follow. The x-rays told us that Darla had been hit by a car, had 5 fractures in her back hips and legs, and was going to need surgery. We felt so terrible for Darla having to go through all of that pain. Despite it all, she still had the sweetest spirit.
We took her home and loved on her. We realized that clearly nobody was going to claim her, so we posted her picture through Facebook to see if anyone might be interested in giving her the home she deserves. At Dave's going away dinner the night we found Darla, our friend Tiffany told Parker she had been thinking about getting a dog and that she could possibly be interested. Once I posted the information on Facebook, Tiffany said she wanted to come meet her. For some reason, I just knew it was going to work out. Darla was so sweet, and she had already stolen our hearts in the two days we had her.
Tiffany came over the next day, and it was love at first sight. Darla is not shy around people at all, and she snuggled right up to Tiffany. I explained all of her ailments and that she would likely need surgery, but Tiffany had already fallen in love with her, just like we had. She stayed for a while, and we just talked about Darla while they got to know each other. Tiffany said there wasn't a doubt in her mind that this was her dog, and Parker and I were so excited for the two of them. Darla went home with her new mommy, and it literally could not have been a more perfect ending.
I mentioned at the beginning of this post that this was a very faith-affirming experience. There were too many factors that worked so perfectly together that there was no way God didn't have His hand in this entire situation. Had we not been going to Dave's going away dinner that night, our friends wouldn't have come over to carpool. Had they not come over, we wouldn't have seen Darla until the next day, and likely she wouldn't have been on our doorstep still. She was black and completely blended in with the night. Had Parker not gone to the dinner while I stayed back, he wouldn't have been able to talk to Tiffany about her. Those were all little things that God orchestrated to work out perfectly for His plan. But the biggest blessing and evidence that this was all God's doing? Darla showed up on our doorstep. We have a soft spot for animals and both felt like God was calling us to help her. I think He chose us to help give Darla a second chance at life, and I think He chose Tiffany to be her new family.
Darla had her surgery last week and is doing great. She is completely happy and spoiled with pink everything. She and Tiffany have formed the perfect family and have been such wonderful gifts to each other. This was such an amazing story to get to be a part of, and it couldn't have had a happier ending.
1 comment :
Love this story! :)
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