Stevie’s Gotcha Day!

It is Stevie’s “Gotcha Day”!

One year ago, on March 5th, 2021, we started a new adventure with Stevie joining our pack. It was both exciting and bittersweet to introduce a puppy to our lives. I did not want this. I did not want to have a home without Gwen, but that is the hard reality of being a pet parent – our time is limited. However, I cannot help but to feel like everything ended up exactly how it was supposed to.

I hated to think of a life without Gwen. It did not seem possible. The last year or so of Gwen’s life forced me to face that reality though. Her health was fading, she was aging, and I needed to think about what was next. How would I handle it? Would I get another puppy?  I sometimes felt guilty for thinking about it, I did not want to replace her – that would be impossible – but I was coming to terms with the fact that one day I would be left behind.

Gwen passed away on September 26th of 2020.  My husband and I went through all the stages of grief, it was not easy. Our house felt so empty and quiet. We had almost immediately started making moves to launch The Gwen Fund in honor of Gwen, I was very busy, but I still felt off.  Maybe it was the fact that we had always had three dogs? We had briefly chatted about another dog – but I think we were both unsure of if we were actually ready to do anything – it had only been a few months.

During some of the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic with many families homebound – pet rescues were inundated.  We decided we would not push anything but thought that with the demand so high we should at least get on a waitlist.  We sent applications to a few rescues and were immediately told that it would be a least a six month wait. Perfect, we thought. We are not in a rush! I happened to come across the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta Facebook page during some random scrolling and that is when I noticed a little fluffy white face staring back at me.

This pups name was Hera, she had a greyish mask and the sweetest little face. I sent a screenshot to my husband – literally just to show him – but his response was “did you apply!?”

His response took me aback, but after a few moments I thought – sure. Why not apply, it will probably be another six months wait.

I completed the application and hit submit.

30 minutes later I got a phone call from Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta. The voice on the phone explained to me that the puppies and their parents had been surrendered to the rescue. The puppies were born on 12/24/2021 and were ready to make their way into their new homes. I nearly dropped my phone when they said, “we are working on your application now and should be back with you soon!” I got a little more excited, but still thought we are months away from doing anything.

A few hours later we were back on the phone to set up a meeting, but with a catch.  They explained that Hera had already been adopted, but that they did have her sibling “Nike” available if we’d like to meet her instead?

Maybe I am being all woo-woo, but I swear this started to feel like DeJa’Vu all over again.  The chance meeting, the rapid escalation, it was like something was pulling us together. 

We agreed to the meeting and made plans to drive over to the foster home where we would meet the foster and the adoption coordinator.  It was such a great meeting and in moments we knew – she was perfect. I sat on the ground and got a little lick on the nose from her, like she was telling me to take her home.

We finalized the paperwork and started heading home with Nike, her name promptly changed to Stevie. 

In the year that we have had Stevie it has felt like she was just supposed to be here. She learned her way around the house quickly, she trained easily, we bonded. 

Stevie has brought our home back to the state it was before Gwen had to go. Her sassy attitude and her subtle sweetness are exactly what we were missing.  There is no replacing Gwen, but it does seem as if the baton had been passed to Stevie.

For anyone enduring loss, know that you do not have to grieve alone. There is a huge community of us out here to support you, to get you through this challenging time.  While everyone processes loss differently, I would like to also add that there is no “right time” to introduce a new pet to your life. This experience with Stevie has taught me that we must be open. Gwen and I had rescued a lot of other dogs during our time together. She was the welcoming committee in our house – showing the new dog where things were, how it all worked. I think that Gwen would have wanted me to keep going – to give another dog the opportunity to live this life.

When you are ready, honor your pet by rescuing another and sharing that love with them!

Thank you to Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta  for all the hard work you do, and for introducing us to Stevie!

See available dogs at Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta

Until Next Time,

C.O

2016 Family Photo

Jonathan, Gwen, Grant, Jackson, Chris

2022 Family Photo

Jonathan, Stevie, Grant, Jackson, Chris