I am sooooo excited!!! This has nothing to do with photography...My husband and I are such animal lovers...all ours are spoiled rotten... we have two Newfoundlands--purebred--one rescued Lhasa Apso--someone didn't want him anymore---then we have three bunnies and 12 birds and a cat, and a chicken from Key West----Well, about a month ago I was moving out of my gallery in Point Washington because we are building a house in Santa Rosa Beach and I will be operating my studio out of that big, wonderful house...Anyway...on the last day that I was moving, this dog showed up and I was afraid that it would be run over on busy Highway 98...so I called the number on the tag...got no response; then called the vet, who gave me the same number...the vet tech then said, just keep the dog.

Well, my husband said no, because we already had the three dogs...I said, ok, I'll just foster it until we can find a home...then, about the second day, when my husband saw that the dog--Marley (that was on her tag)--and I had bonded, he said I could keep her...He said she reminded him of Deebo, our son's pitbull (who was sooooo sweet and is pictured above with Brooklyn, the miniature maltese) who was shot and killed two years ago (because she was a pitbull...but that's another story)....Then the next day, Marley's owner found me and I returned her...I was sad because I had already fallen in love!!!

Anyway...her owner told me that she kept digging out of her pen and she was skinny because she was a runner....

Well, I gave her back, as I should have, but couldn't help but thinking of her...I don't know what it was...we just instantly fell in love!

Fast forward a couple of weeks (I found her Feb. 6)....Something inside me kept telling me to call her owner and check on her...in case she couldn't keep her anymore.

Well, finally, after a couple of weeks, I listened to the voice (God) inside of me and called her mom today (March 2). When I told the owner who I was and that I was calling to check on Marley, she said that she was in her office and about to write a letter to a dog rescue to see if they could place her because she didn't have the time to care for her and because she kept escaping...

Well, me being the animal lover I am, just started crying! I had already fallen in love with Marley after my husband had told me we could keep her...I am a jogger and love riding my bicycle and was looking forward to taking her with me on these expeditions!!! She is part boxer and part Rhodesian Ridgeback and loves to run! Her owner told me that she frequently would escape her pen and run away. She works day and night and couldn't give her the exercise that she needed.

Her owner said that she felt this was confirmation that Marley should come live with our family!!! I was ecstatic!!! How great is our God that he would give me the desire of my heart---as simple as it would seem in a dog--and work it out like that...

I can't explain it to you why Marley showed up at the door of my previous gallery and when I was making my last trip out of there....All I know is that I am in love and look forward to bringing the newest member of our pack of spoiled animals home tomorrow! Will keep you updated...I feel like a new mom...even though our kids are grown!!!