Hello, Goodbye, Hello

I suppose I had better catch you up to speed on new members to our family. 

First we have Qiu Jin. It sounds like chew gin when you pronounce it. We have had Qiu Jin for over a year at this point, but she still feels new. Let me tell you how Qiu Jin ended up in our house. 

My cousin was living in Shanghai and was involved in animal rescue. She was walking home and spotted a puppy running through many many lanes of traffic. Somehow the scruffy puppy was not hit and took shelter under some parked motor bikes. My cousin grabbed a few strangers who helped her to corral the puppy and scoop her into a bag and take her home. A couple of weeks later she asked if we would help. Well, we already had two dogs (Betty and Bumblebee), but we couldn’t say no. Several months passed as my cousin got a passport for Qiu Jin and several other rescues who were flying into the states. If you are wondering why she didn’t just re-home the animals in China you can look into the dog meat trade for your answer.

Anyway, Eric and I did not tell the girls that we were going to adopt her as there were so many variables. We did drive to AZ to meet my cousin and her dogs. Qiu Jin was actually kind of a mess and would not let me hold or pet her. Furthermore my cousin was deeply attached by this point. The night before we left I told her that she could absolutely keep Qiu Jin, that it felt like we were taking her dog. We were happy to have made the trip just to see her and the family.  She thought on it for the night, but the next morning, as we were loading the car to return home, she took me aside and said that she knew it was the best choice for Qiu Jin.

So we pretty much just shoved this confused pup into the car, after a hard goodbye, and drove off. It was such a loving gift for my cousin to put Qiu’s needs first. The girls were, of course, thrilled. As we drove off I looked down at this scared and confused dog and my heart broke a little bit. She didn’t trust me and she didn’t know what was going on. Thankfully the long drive home gave me time to pet her, give her treats, and earn a little trust.

It took a few months for her to settle into our life. She bonded with us quickly, but I would say that somewhere between months 3-6 she really began to show her true colors. She is so fun! She has the best personality. She is silly and playful and so smart! We adore her!

And now for the saddest goodbye. Bumblebee. 

Last summer, a few months after adopting Qiu Jin,  we had to say goodbye to Bumblebee. She had been declining for years, but it was to the point that we truly began to question her quality of life. I kept hoping that she would just not wake up. Each morning I would check her breathing, her tail would wag and she would groan to get  up and go outside. It became clear that her pain was not something we could manage. After many tearful conversations we realized that our final gift to her would be a dignified and peaceful death in her home. 

The girls and Eric said goodbye and left with Betty and Qiu Jin. Bumblebee and I stayed home with the vet who came to help ease her passing with care and love. The vet was so gentle and gave me all of the time and care that made the process so much more peaceful. . I cried and gave her all of the love. Her passing was sweet and quiet. I cried so much, but the last words she heard were that she was such a good girl and that we love her so much. From the moment we met her until the moment she left she knew nothing but love.

While it was truly heartbreaking, and something that I still feel acutely, I am so thankful that we had her in our lives for so very many years. She was such a gift and the age old adage is that grief is the price we pay for love. And boy do we love her.

_____

Phew, that was kind of heavy and we are more than a year removed from her passing. 

I will say that while we all mourned, animals included, we are all ok now. We remember her as she was when she was pain free and full of life. She opened Eric and I up to responsibility in a way that paved the road to parenthood and future adoptions. She has left a legacy of love.

Next, you need to meet Philip! His story is a bit more simple. During quarantine we decided we could take in a foster. He came to us from El Paso or Juarez, we aren’t sure. When he arrived he was covered in filth and ticks (barf city). 

He had clearly been abused and was just terrified to his core. He knew pretty quickly to go to the bathroom outside, adored the girls, ignored the cats, and started to bond with Qiu Jin. He also weirdly looks a lot like Qiu Jin.

A few weeks in we got a call for a meet and greet with a potential adopter. We had a family meeting and decided that we could not bear to put him through the trauma of another upheaval in his life. So we officially adopted him. 

Philip is no genius. Truly a simple soul. However, he is just so darn sweet. We had to teach him how to go up and down stairs. We had to teach him to walk on a leash. We had to teach him that we won’t hurt him. Qiu Jin and Betty have taught him to play. He hasn’t got a mean bone in his body. When we take him on walks he just trots along with a doggy smile, looking up at us. Occasionally  he is looking up with so much love and gratitude that he runs into bushes so we have to keep an eye out for him.