Dorrie Day!!!!!

After BINGO, Fort Hays, The Sternberg Museum and dinner out, the time FINALLY came to go get Dorrie.

Once everything was put into action, it seemed like an eternity, however, in the grand scheme of things, from start to finish, it really wasn’t that long at all. If you have ever tried to adopt a dog, patience is definitely a virtue. The whole process can take months. When we lost Lucie (Luzerne), and we were looking for another dog, we wanted to adopt through a rescue, but there were NO dogs to be found due to COVID. So we went to a breeder and a few weeks later came home with Juneau. This time however, rescue was our first choice once again, and the process only took a couple of weeks. And now, we have beautiful Andorra, whom we call Dorrie. Her name that she had before was Quinn, but as soon as we knew she was going to be ours, we changed her name and her foster parents started calling her Dorrie to get her used to her new name.

We name our fur babies according to their place of origins (the breed usually). Lucie/Luzerne, for example, was named after Luzerne, Switzerland, since that is the area where St. Bernards originated, and they became famous for helping people pass through the Bernard pass in the mountains/alps between France and Switzerland. Lucie was by no means our first fur baby we named this way though. This has been a tradition since before Larry and I got together, when I named one of my chows Taipei, since chows were originally from China. And the tradition has continued ever since. Dorrie, or Andorra, is named after the tiny little country Andorra, located in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France, where the Great Pyrenees breed originated as guard dogs for the sheep. Dorrie is an 8 month old Great Pyrenees. Currently, she is 65 lbs. When she is fully grown, she will be between 100-130 lbs.

After our fun times in Hays, we had to drive about another 100 miles east to Salina, KS to meet up with Dorrie’s foster parents. They were coming in from Oklahoma City, OK. Needless to say, we were VERY excited to get our new baby girl. We met up with her foster parents around 9:30 PM, and from the very first moment, she knew she was ours and we were hers. We bonded immediately.

This picture was taken just minutes after the adoption became official.

Dorrie’s foster parents had mixed emotions, understandably so too. They took excellent care of her, and almost kept her, for months before she became ours. When her leash was turned over to us, it was a bittersweet moment for them. They were very happy to see her go to a good, loving home, but were sad to see her go too. I know I wouldn’t have been able to give her up. She is such a sweet girl.

Within minutes, Dorrie was begging for tummy rubs from each of us, which is a great sign. Dogs usually only expose their tummies when they are comfortable with someone. It is a sign of total trust and comfort.

Dorrie slept in between us all night, and has been doing that every night since too. The next morning, after a morning walk, we left Salina, for another stop in Hays to have her meet some of Larry’s family, then we were homeward bound. She did great in the car and slept most of the way home.

Once we got home, it was time for the real challenge. We had to introduce her to Juneau. We were a little nervous at first since Juneau can be a pill, but it only took a few minutes of sniffing each other out, and all was fine.

We got home from Hays around 5:00 PM on Sunday, and today is only Thursday, but the girls have already bonded and are having fun playing together and running all around the backyard, and the house. They are not inseparable yet, but close. It won’t be too much longer and they will be completely joined together at the hip. This is exactly what we were hoping for too.

Dogs are pack animals, and when Vinnie passed away, Juneau lost her best friend. She was very lonely, hence the decision to get another dog, another buddy and playmate for Juneau. I think we made a very good decision indeed. The girls seem very happy and comfortable with each other already.

Life is always better when shared with friends. Friends help put the smiles on our face and love in our hearts.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.