It seemed like just any other day at the shelter. I visited Duster in her kennel as I had so many times before. She greeted me with her shy little "Whoof!". I was pleased with how far she'd come since the days when she'd shrink to the back of her kennel and growl in fear. Extending a treat, I noted how readily she accepted it now and watched as she, demurely, ate. Trust, for her, was a long time coming but over the months her beautiful brown eyes had grown softer and she now welcomed my hands in her fur. Wanting this last visit to be like all the others, I wound my fingers into her scruffy coat and scratched that heavenly spot behind each ear. She looked at me with innocent eyes, having no way to know of what was to come. We lingered that way a few moments more, but time was running out.
Gently I scooped her up into my arms, carried her to the next room and placed her into the bathtub. She stood perfectly still while I worked the shampoo into her hair. Bless her little heart. She truly deserved better than a shelter life. Warm water trickled through her cotton candy-soft hair. A touch of conditioner and a brisk towel-dry left her biscuit colored locks glowing with a reddish sheen.
I held her face to mine and we touched noses, "Duster, you're a beautiful little girl and today is your special day!"
A spray of doggy cologne added the finishing touch just minutes before a kind-faced lady in a medical uniform stepped inside the door. She had visited Duster every day that week and had even taken pictures so that she could show her friends the new "baby" she'd soon be taking home. Today she carried a brand new, matching collar and leash and had, so thoughtfully, left her car engine running with the air conditioner on.
I held Duster while the paperwork was completed. Someone asked me if I wanted to put her on the floor but I declined, knowing it would be the last time I would hold her. Too soon, the papers were done and Duster was ready to go to her new home. This was it! I carried her to the car where a brand new crate with a brand new little green bed waited. Duster turned as I placed her into the crate. She looked at me and then to her new "mom", who promised to give us updates from time to time.
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