Welcoming Opal! (Did I really just adopt another puppy?)

As we are nearing our empty nest years, my husband and I decided we would not be getting any more dogs for a long time. After losing our beagle Blue last summer, we still had three dogs, one a senior. We knew we were likely to be down to two dogs within the year, and we even talked about how easy it was going to be. They are potty trained, can use a doggy door, can be left alone, have lower energy, etc.

Cue the post from SOS Beagle Rescue of a litter of nine adorable puppies. Mom is a beagle and dad might be one, too. My first dog of my own was a black and white beagle mix named Winston. She was our original CNL logo dog and my favorite dog who ever lived. She definitely has influenced my choices in dogs ever since – beagles and black dogs.

I was determined to help this litter of beagle puppies find families, so I wouldn’t feel the pull to adopt one myself. (Six of them are black and white!) There were three still available the week they were ready for adoption. Who are we to fight the universe? We decided to adopt. We had the rescue send two puppies, so my dogs could pick their match. We would foster the second puppy until they were adopted. This is not a normal scenario for the rescue, just a perk for having fostered with them for more than a decade. With multiple other litters nearing adoptable age, I think it was a big help to move an extra one to PA.

Hercules and Vela came to my house on March 7th. By the next day, we had decided on Vela, but re-named her Opal. The two puppies were full of energy, loved wrestling and chewing on each other. Vela occasionally took a moment to sit and watch the world around her. It reminded us so much of Trace as a puppy.

Hercules (now Chase) was adopted later that week and lives within an hour of us. Another littermate is even closer. We hope to meet up at a park for a play date this spring. Will they remember that they are litter mates? We don’t know, but we’re sure they will have fun. Puppies love a play date.

Our last puppy was Trace, in 2020. For a year that was terrible, it was a great year to get a puppy. Everyone was home, so there was always someone to take him out or play with him. We also adopted him the first week of June, so hanging out on the patio was easy. Since Opal has been home, we’ve had warm & sunny and cold & wet. Going outside after every meal, every nap, and every play session can be exhausting and cold. She is making great strides on her potty training.

I look forward to sharing Opal with the Lodge family for many years to come. She will be attending Puppy Kindergarten and possibly our Day School program, too. Puppies are a lot of work, but oh so worth it. We are glad we followed our hearts instead of our heads.

We are in love.

– Rayne