DOING THE LUCY WIGGLE

Okay, here's where I eat my words! (Or, I learn not to post declarations that will burn me later). Here's the very short story of how within two months, I went from, "We are not getting a dog," to owning a dog.

We met Lucy. End of story.

Lucy came into our lives as a foster dog. She had been abused by her former owner, needed medicine for her liver disease, and a lot of attention. We could barely find her eyes because her fur was so long and matted. However, we quickly learned which end was what when she performed the "Lucy Wiggle." That's the unbelievably overjoyed, ecstatically happy dance she performs every time you enter the room - even if you were just there two minutes ago. Now, our whole family does the Lucy Wiggle. It's a great stress reliever, really.

After nursing Lucy back to health, we turned her back into the shelter so she could be adopted, just like we had agreed. Then we went on our summer vacation and my daughter cried every day. We all missed her. Halfway through vacation, the Animal Protective League of Cleveland called to tell us that past adoption efforts had failed and Lucy was ours if we wanted her.

Lucy has embedded herself into our hearts, and taught me a lesson about speaking in extremes. Here she is - before and after grooming:

Lucy is a Yorkie-Poo combo. Here she is just before getting groomed.















Wow! Let's all do the Lucy Wiggle!

My daughter and Lucy both found a spot of sunshine streaming through our front door to share an afternoon nap.

When I spotted this scene, I knew without a doubt that we had made the right choice.