What was Dandy Day?

I'm not sure if you celebrated Dandy Day in your neck of the woods, but we sure did here in the Ozarks. For years the kids have asked for a dog. A got one years ago at her mom's, but the only pets we have had in our home were cage confined -- Virgil the hedgehog, Genie the frog and Wolverine the beta fish. Well, Sozo the dog in Rwanda, but she doesn't have her passport, leaving her unable to travel.

We have talked about getting a dog for a number of years, but travel kept us from making the commitment. J and I also had a list of things we wanted the dog to do or not to do, making it even more difficult to find the right fit for our family. J didn't want a dog that shed. I wanted a big dog and wanted to skip the potty training stage.

The talk of finding a dog escalated this summer as we discussed trying to be a rescue family for a standard poodle or a standard/retriever mix. As conversations happened with people we would meet who had these breeds, I began to get discouraged. People do not often get rid of older dogs like this and finding one at the Humane Society is highly unlikely.

I spent countless hours at the soccer field this summer. Remember? As the kids played, parents visited. This is where one of those conversations happened. I shared with my new friend that if they ever decided to find a new home for the Goldendoodle they inherited a few weeks prior, I'd come get him in a heartbeat.

I was headed to check out at Target last week when I ran into her. She said, I have been looking for your number everywhere, we are ready to find a new home for Dandy. Many people have shared that they would love to have him, but I think your family will be the best fit. He's a great running partner, your boys loved him (they met at the soccer field) and your husband was supportive...what do you think?

I told her that I had to triple check with J, but I was pretty sure I knew his answer. And I did. We decided yesterday was the best day for both families to do the exchange, which meant I had to keep it from the boys for over a week. I text his picture to a few friends and wrote Dandy Day on the family calendar and yesterday I told the boys they were to be walkers after school, not bus riders. They didn't think much of it really. But after put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Here is how it unfolded...

Parents waiting outside the school building for their kids.

Dandy waiting with a new blue, color of Brasil's shorts & Lightning Soccer, bandanna.

Boys meeting their new dog and asking over and over if it really was theirs to keep.

An attempt at taking a photo of my boys, minus the one at work.

My new pal. He doesn't really leave my side.

When J met him last night, he said, "He's BIG!" He's tall enough to snatch a meal from the kitchen counter. (My friend said he's taken a chicken dinner, roast & a huge stack of whole grain, hemp seed pancakes. So to be careful.) He's big, but he's a bit timid. He's afraid of the goat skin rug that I bargained hard for on the border of DRC & RW. The boys took him for walks last night and then again this morning before the sun was up. They wanted him to ride in the car to take them to school and can't wait to take him to the park tonight. We are all thrilled with the new addition to our family. He's sure a Dandy* of a dog.

So, if you were wondering what Dandy Day was, now you know.

*There has been discussion of changing his name to a more manly name. Dandy is kinda a funny name for an 80lb male dog, but in the end we decided to keep it. His world has been turned upside down with the passing of his original owner, a brief stay at our friends home and now our home. His name is the gift from his 1st family and we will gladly accept it.