My Puppy is Coming Home!

By the time you read this post, I will either be up in the air or be sitting in an airport waiting to take possession of my new puppy.

This has been an emotional ride.

On one hand, I was reluctant to get another pup so soon. I still cry a few times a day, every day from the loss of my girl. I catch myself looking down at my side thinking she will be standing there.

On the other hand, my family and friends have encouraged me to start looking for a pup because training one to be a service dog can take approximately 2 years. Some have reminded me that I am not getting any healthier or younger. It really struck hard when my doctor told me to find one and start training immediately. His reasons were that it would keep my mind busy and get me more active.

I would have to use my mind to find new ways to train the pup and I would be moving around while playing and training the pup in my backyard. He said it could also boost endorphins.

Training Carma was a pleasure. We enjoyed our training sessions. She made training fun. She knew when she accomplished learning a task. Her eyes lit up and I swore she smiled at me. Even after all our training was complete and she was a full-fledged service dog, we still practiced on skills.  I would give her a "pop" quiz at least 2 or 3 times a month.

I would have to laugh after she did them all because she would give me a look  like "I'm a poodale, I know everything!" I miss all her expressions and her quirkiness.

I miss how she would tattle on me when I didn't listen to her. If she did the task to tell me to lay down or if she tried to push me in my chair and I ignored her, she would run to find hubby or the kid. She would lead them back to me.  I always heard the words "You better listen to your poodle".

The best story was when we went to Nashville, TN for a blog conference. We had got everything in the room and was headed out to mingle with the bloggers who were already there. While we were walking down the hallway, my kid was in front of me with Scooby and Carma was walking with me. Next thing I knew I was kissing the floor.

I had tripped over my own feet. I let out a grunt and the kid turned around to see what the noise was. Carma hung her head and shook it slowly back and forth. The kid burst out laughing yelling "Carma just DISSED you!" Carma kept walking. It was like Carma was thinking  " we haven't even been here 30 minutes and ma already be trippin" Just thinking about that day makes me laugh. My body didn't behave during that conference. LOL!

She gave me many memories and she saved me from getting hurt more times than I can count. She was not only my heart dog, I feel she was my soul dog. She knew my body and disability better than I did. She was truly sent from heaven.

As I enter the new journey into the life of training a puppy to become a service dog, I pray that the pup will have a little Carma in them. After all, she is the one who came to me in a dream and told me to look for the dot.

Photo Courtesy of Jazzy's Standards

My mom finally broke down and told me about a dream she had. Carma had visited her in a dream a few months after her death. She said Carma talked to her in a human voice. Mom said Carma told her that she was very worried about me. She asked my mom to encourage me to find another dog to train and until then she would watch over me from above.

It broke my heart to know that Carma visited my mom before she visited me. There were a couple other people who told me that Carma had come to them in a dream. Once they read about the dream I had, they thought it was okay to tell me what she told them.  I know some of you don't believe in the dreams but those of you who do will understand.

Wednesday morning my life will begin once again. I hope the feeling of being lost will fade away. I once again will have a purpose and a goal. Am I scared? YES! Not every dog can become a service dog but hopefully with this pup's lineage, we will get to our goal. I think I am more scared of puppyhood than anything. I know it will be okay but it has been a very long time since I had a puppy.

By Wednesday afternoon, this pup will be in my home. I hope my puppy loves us as much as we love the puppy.

Stay tuned for further updates!!