Rich Solo Mama

– Three against one. I like my odds.

Bridesmaids, the movie? Anyone?! LOVE it. In fact, I think I’ll watch it after the two, seven week old pups and my 16 month old daughter go to bed.

I’ve received the craziest looks when I tell people that I recently added two new beagle mixes to our little family. However, I’ve been sleep deprived for 16 months, what is another year of being surrounded by bodily excretions whether human or canine?  I also like to relate it to the band-aid philosophy. I am much more the “rip it off in one fell swoop” over peeling it slowly one hair at a time type of girl.

I am happy to report that all three babies survived the first week, and I have a new appreciation for mothers of multiples. Not to compare puppies with human babies, because thankfully, the puppies should grow out of their demanding needs a lot sooner than my daughter. Hopefully.

It never ceases to amaze me at God’s perfect timing. I named the pups Mazie and Grace (play on words of Amazing Grace). We had recently lost our family dog, a mid-size labradoodle named Tessa, to cancer. She passed quickly, and left a vacancy in our family. She had a large spirit for such a small dog. Mourning the loss of Tessa, along with other trials of solo mama-hood, made for a challenging time in my life.

One day when I was driving back from work, I decided to take the long way home to decompress. On a busy country road I spotted a little dog. Being raised by a bleeding heart dog-lover, I stopped and got out of my car.  A huge pick-up truck stopped behind me at an angle to block traffic. I hopped out of my car, and this cute beagle named Tinkerbell came right up to me and allowed me to place her in the back seat of the car.

The driver of the pick-up truck looked at the dog, and spoke in the standard country boy accent I have grown to appreciate as a northern transplant in the south, “Well, I’ll be, that daawwg looks pregnant!!” I agreed. Little Tinkerbell had a not so little belly.

After taking her to her home about 10 miles from where I found her, I smiled at being able to help, and didn’t think much about it. Until…

Until, I entered my neighborhood and saw another little dog on the side of the road. This one wasn’t as far from home and it appeared as though a realtor showing the owner’s home had left the door open. Another successful pet-rescure completed on my usually short commute home.

For full disclosure, yes I live in the South; however, no, this is not a daily or even a monthly occurrence. I had never found any dog on the side of the road since moving to my southern city. To find two in one day, just after losing my family dog, was much more than a coincidence (I don’t believe in coincidences).

My heart stirred, and I called the owners of the pregnant dog to inquire about her pups to see if they were already all spoken for. The gracious owner told me they were so grateful I brought Tinkerbell home, and I could have first pick.

My mother went with me. She picked out Mazie, and I picked out Grace. As the story goes, I am now the proud, albeit occasionally puppy-frustrated, owner of both the sisters.

Moral of the story: heed the signs. You never know how God intends to bless your life, if only you pay attention.