Memories of Tessa - Part I

Memories of Tessa

Part I

When I first saw Tessa, she was in a cage at the pound and her name tag read "Samantha Marie". You might be expecting me to say it was 'love at first sight', but thankfully it was not.

Why thankfully? Because that day I was on a mission to find an adoptable playmate for Vince. We had recently lost Luc, our beloved Doberman (our first family dog together), and I was so heartbroken that I vowed to never love a dog again the way I loved Luc. We still had Pavoratti, the greyhound, but he was not the playful kind and we wanted more action for cutie-pie Vince.

So, on my second visit to the animal shelter in Kent WA, I strolled the aisles with a cold heart and calculating eye. Mid-size dog, not too small, not too big, not too old, short hair, friendly. And one that I DEFINITELY would NEVER love.

I saw 'Samantha' watching me through her cage door, and she was one of the few not barking. Visually she fit all my parameters, and the tag listed her age as 8 months old. The troubling news was that she had been returned to the pound twice after being adopted but no specific reasons were listed.

An attendant helped me get her outside for a short outdoor/leash trial. I watched the dog, felt nothing, and knew it would be a good match. David got a chance to see her before all the paperwork was filled out, and since he liked her we went ahead with the adoption.

Before bringing "Tessa" home (we had preselected the name: it means 'third' and she would be the third dog), she had to be spayed at the shelter. The day I picked her up was a few hours post-surgery, and she slept all the way home in the back of our old Volvo wagon.

Next up:  Part II - Tessa's New Life