If you’re a faithful BBFF (Blessed Blog Friend Forever), and I do hope you are, you may recall that at the beginning of this year, I had to say good-bye to not only my beloved father, but also to my faithful companion Fenway and my granddog Rocky (who had been living with us for several years), all within a few weeks of each other.
It was pretty heart-wrenching to be sure.
So for the past three months, I’ve been praying that Papa God would give me a little fuzzy friend to love. My prayer was simple: Please send a little buddy who needs me as much as I need him.
My other wishes (not exactly stipulations) were that it be a small dog, less than ten pounds (easier for me to cuddle!) and that he’s laid back and gets along well with kids (I have four grands who will be in his face).
I preferred young but not necessarily a puppy – less than two years would be ideal so he was past the chewy, barky, unhousebroken annoying puppy stuff. A female was fine, although I’ve only had male dogs for the last 25 years so in my mind its always a “he.”
To do my part in helping God along (don’t we always try?) I visited breeders galore, rescue sites, dog pounds in several different cities and even different states, and many friends (thank you!) put out feelers and prayed with me for just the right pooch.
I looked at dozens and dozens of delightfully slobbery faces. Cute dogs, adorable even. Dogs who would’ve made wonderful companions, I’m sure.
But …
None felt right. Nuh-uh. Nada. Zilch.
I firmly believe that Papa God’s there, He’s aware, and He cares about even the smallest details of our lives, so I’d determined to wait on the Lord to make it clear which was His choice for me. I felt sure that when I met the right one, I would know.
So I waited. And waited. And believe you me, it wasn’t easy. I was ready to take on a new little four-legged lover by the first of February.
Then March passed and April rolled around and my arms were still empty. Sigh. Waiting on the Lord is SO hard, isn’t it?
And then (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?) last week one of the animal rescue ladies I’d left my name with called. They had a little 8-pound, 18-month-old male stray who seemed to fit the bill; would I like to come and see him?
I’m not sure she had hung up the phone completely by the time I started knocking on her door.
She brought this little fellow out and placed him on my lap. He was not handsome. Nope. His ears were a different color than the rest of him. He had this weird porcupine fur and strangely elongated body that didn’t fit his head; she thought it was perhaps due to a wire-haired dachshund in his heritage. The other half of his geniology was a complete mystery.
I thought maybe weasel.
But to be honest, I barely noticed all of that because all I could see were his eyes. His big beautiful brown eyes and brow furrowed with concern. The first time I looked down at him, it took my breath away. There were my daddy’s eyes looking back at me with that same familiar expression I’d seen on his face a thousand times.
My own eyes welled with tears. I knew. And I think he did too.
In fact, that little dude did nothing the whole time I was there but sit happily in my lap and gaze longingly into my eyes. It felt like we’d known each other forever and had finally met.
So I brought him home for a 24-hour trial. My worries about his kid-skills were completely unfounded; the grands stuck to him like flies on honey. And he was as mellow as a May morning.
Mercy, if he was any more laid-back, he’d be comatose.
And so little Yaz came to live with us. Unless you’re a diehard Boston Red Sox fan (like Spouse), you won’t recognize the nickname of the great Carl Yastrzemski (fans called him Yaz), my husband’s fave baseball player of all time. When Chuck and I first met in college back in 1975, I had never heard of Yaz (ole silly me – can you imagine?), so our courting days were full of fond memories of Chuck trying to teach me to say “Yastrzemski,” which I never could wrap my tongue around.
So “Yaz” is sentimentally special to us. And it seemed like a fitting follow-up to our last dog, Fenway. We even got Yaz a little Red Sox collar of his very own.
He’s still not handsome. Or even cute. So please don’t feel that you need to say he is (our neighbors who meet him usually say something like, “Oh what a cu … what a sweet little dog!”). He favors his weasel ancestor a smidge too much.
He is, however, a very special answer to prayer and so in my eyes he’s pretty perfect.
Hey, we have identical hair – not only the same color but also the same porcupine texture. Quills are us. And he is my kindred spirit about chocolate (he snuck into the Easter chocolate his second day here but managed to live through it).
Our candy dishes are now canine-inaccessible and choco-free. Sadly, Yaz’s poop will no longer smell like Hershey’s kisses. Way too bad about that.
Say, dear BBFF, when was a time in your life that you waited on the Lord for an answer to prayer? How did it turn out? I’d love to hear about it.
P.S. My Spring Fling giveaway is coming tomorrow! You’ll find details on Wed’s e-newsletter (be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already at my website DeboraCoty.com). This one features my brand new, hot-off-the-press
Too Blessed to be Stressed for Moms gift set and is gonna be a doozy!
So happy for you Deb. Our furry friends are so special to us. May you and Yaz have a wonderful life together !
Why thanks, Carol. I appreciate your blessing upon us more than I can tell you!
I don’t care what you say, he is really cute! I love the big, sad, puppy dog eyes!
Me too, Carol! Thanks for taking the time to write, girlfriend!
I am so happy for you and Yaz?
Thanks Dotty! We are still on our honeymoon so happy too!
I think Yaz is perfect!! I love his color which is like the rest of him (different but special). I am happy that he has found his forever home. Also happy that you have him in your life.
Thanks, Miss Martha. Yaz and I look so much alike, nobody can tell us apart! Hugs to you!
I can’t stop staring at those eyes. How blessed are you both?!?
I know, right? That was the clincher for me. Thanks for taking the time to write, Lee!
I didn’t realize we had Red Sox love in common!
I hope your sweet fella is settling in
Go Sox!!! Red Sox fans are a special breed, don’t you think, Susan? We had to live with disappointment for SO long, we’ve learned to be more resilient than most big team fans. Hey, in keeping with the Sox theme, we narrowed our choice of dog names down to Dusty (Dustin Pedroia, who we adore but appears is on his way out with injuries), BoSox (sounded too much like Botox to me), Pesky (pole), Big Poopie in honor of David Ortiz (makes me laugh), and Yaz, which we eventually chose. What would’ve been your choice? (We had already used Fenway.)
What a super sweet story. So glad you shared. You and Yaz look adorable together! I, also, just lost my last of my furry family on April 5th, Poncho, a rescue, so dear to my heart. This is the first time in years our family has been without fur. Feels so strange. With all 4 kids grown and my husband and I travelling quite a bit, I will wait to see if adding another dog to our family is in God’s plan.
I totally get that strange feeling, Vicki. I had it for just shy of four months. I think I could have easily gotten used to not having to do the inconvenient parts (sunrise walks, cleaning up accidents, barking during naps, etc.) but I just couldn’t get used to not having a little warm furry body to cuddle with in the evenings while watching Doc Martin reruns. Or someone who bodyslams himself into the door in his excitement to see me when I get home. Or someone special to share the last bite of my taco with. I think if Papa God means for you to commit again, you’ll know. Otherwise, enjoy your freedom, girlfriend – sounds like you deserve a break!
So happy for you and Yaz. Dog is God spelled backward. That is one reason they are so special to us. I think he is just the cutest , little thing. So special. Yall are made for one another. Enjoy! Please give him a little squeeze from me. May I mention Mothers Day Grand Giveaway in this comment? Thank you for all you do to bring such joy to our hearts. You are a blessing. In Christian love, Elane
Awww, thanks, Elane. I saw the magic phrase and have dropped your name in the fedora, girlfriend! Hugs to you.
That’s how I feel about my little dude – he is the sunshine in my heart every day! I’m so glad you found yours!
Well said, Noreen. And we appreciate the sunshine sooo much more after the rain, don’t we? Hugs to you, girlfriend. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Deb,
How perfect to add Yaz to your family!! Fuzzy, little, 4-legged blessings are the BEST!! So happy for all of you!!
Chuck’s not feeling quite as blessed with this 4-legged blessing as I am, but he’ll come around. At least he hasn’t threatened to put him in the microwave yet.
Awe, he is cute and those eyes, how could anyone not love him. Happy to hear he wasn’t a weazel or comatose ?!! Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder and aren’t we all so blessed that our God loves us unconditionally, even with our ugliness and flaws???
Yaz is perfect in all ways.
Well said, Naomi! I posted a pic on FB this week of Yaz and my 3-year-old granddaughter cuddling together in her stroller while we went on a walk. I’ve never had another dog who would do let a toddler love all over him like that. Yaz is truly perfect for our family.