A Subtraction

For nearly a week we kept a secret at our house. And it was that Jaycee, our foster girl for Lab Rescue, that we had for just over one year, left us last Sunday for a 'trial adoption.' We decided on a "trial adoption," because of some of the insecurities that Jaycee has that didn't and don't make her a fit for some homes. Added to her not always liking some people, for reasons that only she knows, made a "trial adoption" a good option. It gave the family an "out" if it didn't work - and of course, Jaycee would be returned to us. With so much on the line, I just didn't want to jinx anything out there in the cosmos, so we silently kept  all fingers, toes crossed and paws crossed, and hoped it would be a match for Jaycee.

It was a cold and snowy day last Sunday when "Semi-Retired-Couple" and their Lab Ian, made the more than 2 hour drive from Annapolis Maryland to our corner of Virginia. They spent nearly an hour alone with Jaycee, walking her around our property, and just getting to know her, while I watched from the inside. 

"Semi-Retired-Couple" decided that they and their boy Ian wanted to take Jaycee home. So, I took their photo together....

and with a kiss on top of Jaycee's head, she was put into the back of their car and I said good-bye and they were off. 

It didn't take as long as I thought it might for "Semi-Retired-Couple" to decide that they wanted to adopt Jaycee. I will confess that I tried to get them to hold off for a few more days, but their hearts knew that they wanted Jaycee to stay with them - With their saying more than once, how much they already loved Jaycee, and how well it was going, I knew it was time for me to let her go.  

~Jaycee now at home~

"Semi-Retired-Couple" could not be any more perfect for Jaycee. I liked them right away. They are previous adopters from Lab Rescue, and with no children, being home most of the time, not too many comings or goings and being no strangers to dogs like Jaycee, who as a retired breeder girl, can be shy and unsure of herself, they really are perfect for her. 

It was and is bittersweet, and we miss Jaycee. But those hard and discouraging days where I felt like her family would never come, are now replaced with the joy I feel at knowing Jaycee is where she should be.  

~On our way home -
A first photo of Jaycee, when we met in March 2022~

**And I know that some of you may be wondering why we didn't adopt Jaycee. It goes without saying that we loved and adore Jaycee. But she just wasn't a fit for our home. As hard as my brother and our dog walker tried to be friends with Jaycee, for reasons only known to her, she just didn't like them, and was afraid of them both. Unfortunately they both stopped trying to be her friend, something I wasn't happy about it, and I tried to understand. And with that, I felt strongly that Jaycee should be in a home where everyone loved her, and she loved everyone. All dogs deserve that. ❤ **