Our Rescue Dog, OPIE!

Allow me to introduce you to our sweet Opie!

Joe and I rescued Opie in July 2021 from Dogwood Animal rescue here in Sonoma County.

I always knew that when Lexi, my chocolate lab, turned 8 years old I wanted to add a new dog to our family. When Lexi turns 14 (God willing), Opie will turn 8. When Opie is 8, another new dog will be added into the mix.

Lexi is my only-child-spoiled-princess bear. She's never enjoyed playing with other dogs. Lexi is obsessed with fetching tennis balls. In a dog park FULL of furry friends, she'll ignore ALL OF THEM for a ball. I was a bit apprehensive to introduce a sibling into her life.

For several years, I've followed Dogwood Animal Rescue on FB and what incredible storytellers they are! Each rescue dog gets a photo snapped and makes their debut on the FB page. FB followers go 'ga-ga' for Dogwood dogs. Every FB post receives at least 600+ likes and hundreds of comments. FB can be a wasteland of depressing news, BUT a Dogwood post feels like a Cinderella dog makeover story. Abandoned dog finds their forever home.

Two weeks before our wedding I dropped hints to Joe and my mom that getting a new dog was on my radar. They both rolled their eyes and grumbled that it was probably not the best idea. When I get an idea in my head, I make it happen.

Every day I stalked the Dogwood FB page.

I remember the day I saw Opie. It was a few days after our wedding.

Here was Opie's post on FB:

I remember laying in bed, with tears streaming down my face, as I read Opie's story.

I had decided that getting another 50+ lb dog would not be the best idea. Joe and I were living in an RV at the time with minimal space. Opie's 30lb size was perfect. I could tell that Opie was VERY POPULAR among the FB audience. In fact, I noticed that Dogwood was not taking anymore applications because they were flooded with interest.

I didn't consult with Joe. I just acted. I had a deep intuition that Opie was meant for me.

In less than 15 minutes I digitally sent in an application.

It felt like a long shot. I was probably too late.

Next, I told Joe. What is that expression..... 'it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission'? I assured Joe that my application was late and the adoption probably wouldn't happen.