Dear Lucy,

by John Flores

Back when Kurtis got adopted, I wrote him a letter because he had THAT much of an impact on my life. Lucy had just the same amount of impact just in a different way so it’s only fitting that I write a letter to my sweet Lucy….

Dear Lucy,

It’s Sunday and I’m supposed to be cleaning my house but the house seems a little empty without you here so I decided to write you a letter instead. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t get attached to you but the exact opposite happened. I just want you to know how proud I am of you. You’ve come such a long way. I still remember your first meet n greet. Girl, you were a mess! I actually think you were TRYING to fail that meeting! After that day, I was pretty convinced that nobody would ever want to adopt you. You were going to be “stuck” at my house forever and you would be the last foster I would have because there was no way that “Crazy Lucy” would ever let any dog into this house. But that’s part of my flaw, Lucy. It’s what we humans do. We pass judgment way too soon, essentially never giving anyone a 2^nd chance because we know EVERYTHING. And like most of the important women in my life, you proved me wrong about my rash assumption.

It’s been quite the journey with you. It’s hard to believe you’ve been here for 3 months and now you’re off with your forever family. You challenged me as much as I challenged you. I have the bruises and scratches to prove that! But at the end of it all, you have made me a better person as much as you have become the dog everyone knew you were capable of being. All you needed was a chance. You needed someone to show you how to be a dog again. Your foster siblings, Penny and Elvis, did a great job helping me with that. As did, Foster Wally! That old man put you in your place so many times that he taught you to respect your elders which is a big reason why you got along with the 2 seniors that you’re living with now. You owe Wally for that one!

I really don’t have to tell you how much you love your new family because YOU picked them! But you need to know it’s mainly Alicia and Emily responsible for giving you a home! Alicia fell more and more in love with you every time she saw you. But you especially love, Emily. She has this way with you that I just can’t explain but you were meant to be together. You’re calmer with her. You’re more confident with her. You tested her quite a bit during the Sunday hike but she never even blinked when you tried your antics. She’s perfect for you, as are you, for her. She even has dreams of making you a therapy dog and she’s taking you back to San Diego after the summer is over. You’re actually going to have TWO homes now!

On a side note, you actually helped getting our “Pet of the Month”, Stanley, adopted! A lady came in looking to meet you but you had already picked your family. However, it worked out because Stanley ended up picking HER!

We’re all going to miss your silly ways, Lucy. I’m going to miss you randomly wanting to play with Wally when you know that the last thing he wants to do is chase you around the backyard! I’m going to miss taking your picture and that pretty smile of yours. I’m going to miss how you would literally hug me and bury your face in my arms. Your last few weeks here, you really showed us all what a GREAT dog you were. I’m so sorry for comparing you to Kurtis and not giving you a full chance right away. And I was right; I didn’t love you more than I loved Kurtis. I loved you just the same, it was just different. You’ve made me that much better in working with dogs. You got me out of my comfort zone. You showed me that I was not as patient as I thought I was but you also showed me that I was more patient than I ever imagined. At the end of the day, I think you did more for me than I ever could have done for you and I thank you for that.

As a foster, I truly believe that if your dog doesn’t look back at you when they leave with their new family, you know you’ve made the right choice. As you left with Emily today, I stood there and waited for you to turn your head around to look back at me. And as much as I wanted you to at least acknowledge me, the only turn I saw your head do was towards Emily as you both walked to her car. And the best part? You were smiling at her! You never have to wear that “adopt me” vest again! Your life has just begun and I can’t wait to see where you go from here.

It’s been more than a pleasure having you with us Lucy.

Love,

John, Penny, Elvis and Wally

John Flores

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