"Those who are meant to be together will always find their way to each other in the end."

Whenever I tell people that one of my foster dogs is getting adopted, the most popular response is, "You must be sad."  But I'm not sad.  The tears that I cry are tears of joy.  I've been fostering dogs for almost 2 years now, and I've loved every single one.  Some more than others, perhaps, but I've truly loved each and every soul that has passed through my life.

Why be sad?  Because I was able to offer my time and a place to stay, this dog that would have never had a chance got one.  And in the end, that dog that never had a chance ends up in a forever home with the person/people who were waiting for them all along.

You might have to see it to believe it, I suppose, but every dog I've fostered has ended up with the perfect family.  You have no idea how many times I've heard potential adopters say, "I've been looking for the right dog for so long."  You know what?  My foster dog has been looking for the right family for so long!  And then they find each other.  It's that moment when you see the connection between human and dog... and you just know that it's meant to be.

Three days ago, on Sunday, at the K9 Justice League adoption event at our local Petco, I saw that spark between child and dog.  A very excited little boy with parents in tow came into the store for the second day in a row to look at our adoptable dogs.  Reese, the boy, instantly gravitated towards Peaches.  He walked her around the store, and she followed.  She didn't mind that her legs were tangled in the leash... or that he was walking much faster than her typical, slow pace.  Peaches seemed happy as long as she was tagging along with him.  They looked at fish together and made their rounds through the store... quite a few times!  He'd bend over and wrap his arms around her and exclaim, "She's cute!  I like her!"  I had a hard time not tearing up just watching them together.  These two were meant to be together.  I think mom and dad noticed the connection, too, because they eventually came to us with their decision.  They wanted to adopt Peaches.  We set up a home visit for Tuesday.

I spent the next couple days extremely excited over the potential adoption of Peaches... but also thinking it was too good to be true.  Peaches had spent nearly 5 months in the rescue... almost 4 of those months with me.  Her calm nature wasn't an attention grabber when it came to adoption events.  Nearly 5 months... and almost no interest in this sweet, older girl.  She had been passed up by so many people... it was hard for me to believe that her day had finally come.

Peaches joined me at work on Tuesday and had a spa day.  I probably could have given her a bath at home, but I liked the fact that she was there with me all day on what would be her last day as my foster dog.  When I arrived at the home, her boy excitedly ran to the back of my car where Peaches was.  He was clearly excited!  First we checked out the backyard, and I'm pretty sure that Peaches was in heaven.  She has a huge backyard to explore and plenty of space to sunbathe!  She joyously followed Reese around and even ran back to the house with him!  Peaches isn't a runner.  She's more of a slow walker, but she was clearly happy to follow her new best friend wherever he went!  She explored the house with Reese and has some new kitty siblings to get acquainted with!  They weren't exactly thrilled about their new canine companion, but I know that cats take time to adjust.  Heck, I have 4 cats... so I'm all too familiar with the process.  They signed the papers and made it official.  The quiet, calm hound mix that was passed up so many times finally found the right family.  There truly is a perfect family for every dog - it's just a matter of time.