HOLLY’S STORY
What do “multiple dropped cell phone calls,” “garage doors going up and down on their own,” and “crop circles” have in common? Well, I guess one could say — maybe some supernatural forces, add a little humor, and our newly adopted 11-year-old, “Holly,” formerly known as Angel.
GRRIN received a call that there was a Golden in Iowa in need of an immediate home. Her male owner was in hospice and the dog had been left alone for three weeks with only basic care being given to her. Barb and Dennis jumped in their car and met the owner’s Power of Attorney at the dog’s home. Barb noticed that the home was FULL of pictures of Angel with her female owner who had died in 2007. While Angel was being evaluated, the POA reported that there was a possible local party interested in the dog. Preliminary information indicated that this placement might not be suitable. However, multiple phone calls were attempted to this party with different cell phones, but in each case the line went dead. What was up with that????
Finally, it was decided that GRRIN would take ownership. THEN the garage door started going up and down. Barb joked that maybe someone was telling Angel to head out and go to their car! Dennis, who stayed outside with the dog, also noticed the garage door going up and down by itself repeatedly. Hmmmmm! Was it a coincidence that there were multiple dropped phone calls with another prospective owner? Was it merely chance that the garage door seemed to have a mind of its own? Or, maybe it was Angel’s Mom from the Other Side manipulating events to “get Angel out of the house,” with people who she knew would find a good home for her? After all, Angel had looked out for her prior owners in the past, and had saved their lives by alerting them to a house fire. Now, maybe her prior Mom was looking out for HER.
Angel went in to foster care with Jill and her 5-year-old son. Angel had some ambulation problems at first but was improving under their loving care. She had lost 3 lbs., and started to fetch and play with a toy lion the son gave her. We went to visit as prospective owners, and it took us like maybe 30 seconds to fall in love with her! Since she has been with us, she has learned to navigate all stairs with ease, and loves to run and fetch her ball, and still shakes the dickens out of her lion.
Now about those crop circles. We noticed that our yard was suddenly showing an area of flattened grass and snow in a fairly large perfect circle. The edges had the grass kind of torn up. What in the world? Are we suddenly being visited by aliens? Soon we caught the culprit in action. Angel (now “Holly”) would flop down on her side, dig her front paws into the turf and snow, and turn herself in circles, always in the same spot. We also watched happily as she turned on her back and kicked her legs with glee up at the sky. After some discussion, we decided these were not “crop circles” — she was making Snow Angels!…and showing her prior Mom and Dad that she is OK.
Whether guided to us by her owner that passed over seven years ago — or two cell phones that kept going dead — or garage doors that went up and down by themselves — or by Barb and Dennis being in the right place at the right time — we consider ourselves extremely blessed to have her in our lives. She is just a darling! And who knows? Maybe we will flop down beside her in the snow and make some snow angels also!
