Introducing Lady Scarlett. Lady for short. She is a Terrier/Doberman mix, or a Manchester Terrier of sorts. We adopted her three weeks ago from a local shelter. My mom saw her at a Petco showing and fell in love with her the instant she saw her. She didn’t want to just bring home some dog without talking with the family, but the minute mom described this dog we all pretty much fell in love with her without even meeting her. We had planned to pick her up the next day, but mom decided against it since we would be leaving town the following week for two weeks. That was very long to get use to a new dog or for her to get use to us. So we decided to wait until we came home to go and get her. But there was catch, she might not be there when we get home. So what were we to do!? We couldn’t deal with the idea of someone else taking her home. The next day, Monday, I called Lesley, who was with mom when they saw her, and asked her opinion on what to do. She said that we should go and pick her up. Well, after some rearranging and some quick pack of the diaper bag and waking of a sleeping toddler (Crazy, I know!) we left for Turlock to find out dog. We got to the shelter with thirty minutes to spare, fate, I’m sure. We always knew that the right dog would fall into our lives at the right moment, and this seemed to be just the right time. 
We went to see her in her cage, she didn’t bark at us at all, not even a sound, unlike the other dogs. She was beautiful and quiet and rambunctious. She was pretty much perfect, personality like our kids, like our family. We met her outside her tiny little cage and we were hooked. We walked back to the front office and filled out the paper work and she was ours to take home. I felt like anew mother bring home my new baby home for the first time. It was exciting and scary all at the same time. What was my mom going to think when she came home and there she was, happy, mad, both? She didn’t know that we had driven out to get her that day. Either way, it was the right thing to do. We stopped at Petco and stocked up on supplies and headed home. Lance was already off to work by the time we got home, so it was just me, the two little ones, and a brand new puppy, only 8 months old! At that moment, home alone with all this madness I began to question if I really had it in me to handle this. but I knew that if i can raise two kids, this puppy was going be a piece of cake! A few hours later, Lesley and Ed came over and we waited for Mom and Dad to come home. My mom was sooo HAPPY and EXCITED she just didn’t know what to say! It was a great moment! All mom had to do was name her, which she already had a name for her since she first saw her, Little Lady. It was soo shortened to Lady and Xander added Scarlet so she Became Lady Scarlet. These days we just call her Lady. 
She was the missing puzzle piece. Ever since cuddles had passed, things just seemed a bit off, like something was missing. Even stranger than Lady falling into our lives out of no where, we adopted her just one day short of the two year anniversary of cuddles’ passing. If that isn’t a sign, then I don’t know what is. It has been just over three weeks now and she is doing wonderful. She has learned a few things like sit and no. She starts puppy training this weekend and I know she will do very well. Cuddles still owns most of my heart and always will, but she makes it easier. Sometimes I see some of cuddles’ little personality traits in her, maybe because I want to, but my heart doesn’t ache as much now. She has also made our family feel safer. I am home alone often with the kids and Lady is constantly on alert for sounds she doesn’t know, its pretty much the only time she barks. All that and she makes my mom happier, especially since my dad now works weekends.
It has been quiet the roller coaster these past few months. This might sound a bit weird, but, since Lady has come into our lives, there have been so many wonderful things happening, most of which I can’t get into, but we are feeling a little bit more positive about life and what the future holds for us. Things are looking up.
For months. I have been looking for the “Everything happens for a reason” reason. I don’t think I have found it yet, but I know things are changing for the better and though the road is going to be long and winding and at times seem impossible, I look at my family and all the other wonderful things we have in life, like Lady and Squeakers, and wonderful friends (even though they are a thousand miles away!) and feel very blessed.
As for the cat and dog, they are getting along a whole lot better now than in the beginning. The kitty still wants her space but doesn’t try to eat Lady’s face too often anymore! Lady pretty much ignores squeakers now and goes about her own business. This weekend Lady will start puppy classes and I know things will get better for the two of them, squeaker’s is a good listener, but Lady has a long way to go!
We love having a dog. Its been an amazing adventure, especially adjusting to a new way of doing things (can’t just get up and leave and not think about the doggie!!) Its different, a welcomed change. We can’t wait to see what kind of dog Lady will grow into and how our little ones will grow with her. I’m sure it will be very interesting!
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