Riley

She was nothing I wanted and everything I needed. I "accidentally" found her one day while surfing the web. She has a Soft Haired Wheaten Terrier mother and a miniature poodle father. She was six months old and had lived in a cage all her life. She was at a pet store that was a 2 1/2 hour drive from where I live. I looked at her and thought, she's too old, she's too big, she's a girl. In spite of all these things, I couldn't seem to stop thinking about her. That night I even dreamed about her. I showed her to Daryl the next morning. He suggested I e mail the owners and ask if they could bring her to their other store ( about a 30 minute drive from our house) so we could see her. The got back with me and said they could have her there in two days. I asked them if she was housebroken at all. I was pretty sure she wasn't, considering she was living in a cage. I was right.
On the appointed day the whole family went to the pet store to meet her. The lady brought her out and she was smiling at us. I had never seen a dog smile like that. All of her front teeth were showing. Cutest thing you ever saw. So, she lived in a cage all her life, she had no name, she had never even been on a leash. And she smiled. We all fell in love with her and we knew she was supposed to be part of our family.

We took her home. I took her to the vet 2 days later. She had an infection in her ears. She needed shots. She wasn't fixed. She was full of worms. Being full of worms caused her to have loose stools several times a day. You can just imagine the messes we were cleaning up. Well, we got rid of the worms, we had her spayed. We even housebroke her with lots of patience and several pieces of chicken! We found out she has a very sensitive stomach. She can only eat a certain dog food that is corn free, wheat free, and soy free. She can also only eat aertain type of hypoallergenic dog biscuits. And carrots! She loves those!

She is one crazy girl! She has tons of energy, ridiculous energy actually. She steals our things on a regular basis. She chews everything she can get her mouth on. She loathes being left alone. She also loves being a part of our family. She is super sweet and loves everyone. She never met a stranger. She walks beautifully on a leash, every day! She has gained 6 pounds in 3 months and she doesn't have a bit of fat on her body. She is so muscular and toned! And she still smiles at us several times a day.

When we first got her, I was still mourning the loss of Pierre. She used to sit with me at night when I cried over losing him. I had prayed for God to send us the right dog. I couldn't get over the fact that no one had bought Riley. She was so cute and sweet! But of course I knew why. I had asked God to send us the right dog. There is not a doubt in my mind, she was waiting for us. Waiting patiently until our sweet Pierre passed to be a part of our family.

I am thankful every day.