Member-only story
Finding the Goldilocks Dog
How what began as an exercise in frustration resulted in my family finding the perfect companion
“You’re not going to be able to take this dog home,” said Sharon, the adoption agent. I stared at her without saying a word, refusing to accept what she’d said, though I knew full well she was right.
This was our third visit to the shelter in as many weeks. The first two times, we’d gone as a family, and it had been a painful waste of time. Each time, we’d managed to arrive after the few family-friendly dogs had been taken, and each time, we’d walked away downtrodden.
My kids didn’t care if a dog’s adoption card said, “Not For Homes With Small Children.” Nor did they particularly believe me when I told them I wanted a dog just as much as they did. They’d come expecting to go home with a dog, and they could not understand why that wasn’t happening.
The children would cry the whole drive home about how they missed our two late dogs and they wanted a puppy and even a kitty would do if it was cute enough, and my husband and I would feel both frustrated with the process and irritated with the kids for so persistently saying what we all were feeling.
Not an experience I’d recommend.
This day, though, Black Friday, 2017, would be different. My husband and I both were off work and, miraculously, we had a babysitter. Naturally, then, we saw it as the perfect opportunity to visit the shelter without feeling distracted or pressured by the kids.
It was early; it would be quiet. We could move through the various rooms at our own pace, and if we didn’t find a dog that felt right, we could simply return home, and no one would be the wiser.
What’s that saying about the best laid plans?
Turns out, going to the animal shelter on Black Friday is a thing.
The place was already packed by the time we arrived. We could barely move through the lobby. By the time we reached the housing rooms, there were already people jockeying for position in front of the kennels with the cutest dogs, trying to snatch the blue adoption card before someone else could.
