The smell of fall was in the air and the leaves were changing vibrant colors in the middle of October 2022. David and I decided to go talk to the staff at a local animal shelter in Roanoke Virginia to get Bj a playmate.
The whole ride over David and I agreed that we didn’t want another puppy because Bj was one year old and just got out of the chewing phase. He was finally sleeping through the night and just lost his puppy piranha teeth. We just couldn’t go through the puppy stages again so soon.
We arrived at the animal shelter where we went into a side room to discuss what kind of dog we were looking for. The girl entered the room with a tiny black puppy in the hopes that we would want her.
I made myself very clear about not wanting a puppy and with great difficulty I didn’t acknowledge the puppy in the room. I was looking at the girl the whole time and explained that we wanted a small, young, playful dog to play with Bj and give Sarah a break.
After talking to the girl I felt so proud of myself for keeping my focus off of the little puppy and felt like I passed a major test. With a sigh of relief I turned to David and there he was sitting on the floor with the tiny black puppy licking him in the face. It was the happiest I had seen David since we lost Charlie. I knew right then and there that the tiny black puppy they called Ester was coming home with us.
We took her home that same day but first stopped by Wal-mart to buy her food, toys, a crate, and collar. The whole drive home we discussed changing her name because she definitely didn’t look like an Ester.
We got home and introduced her to Sarah and Bj. They loved her and it looked like the beginning of a beautiful friendship as they all ran around the backyard together.
David said the puppy had so much attitude and he suggested we should call her Mabel Simmons after Madea in the Tyler Perry movies. I took a moment to look at her and said, “yeah she looks like a Mabel”.
The puppy chewing and sleepless nights began again and we started house training Mabel the same way we did Bj. The people at the shelter said Mabel wouldn’t get very big and they thought she was a terrier mix. However, months went by and she continued to grow bigger and bigger until we had to buy her an extra large crate.
Mabel was now 70 pounds of pure muscle and obviously a pitbull terrier mix. Eventually, Mabel was too big to safely play with little Bj the 20 pound beagle.
After about a year Bj started to calm down and he started hanging around with Sarah more because Mabel would run all over him in her excitement to play. Even though I tried my best to play with Mabel she became more desperate by the day for someone to play with who could keep up with her.
After talking to David yet again; we both agreed that Mabel needed a friend her size and so the search for another dog started.
We started looking on Facebook and on local shelter websites and knew if it was meant to be we would see Mabel’s new sibling.
Mabel who won David over that day at the shelter is now a mama’s girl. I have a bond with her that I have never had with another dog. I look at her and it’s like she knows what I’m thinking. She’s my 70-pound lap dog and my home security system. I can’t imagine life without her.
She completes our home with her love and grace. And a little bit of attitude. Mabel is my spirit animal.
See “Sasha’s Tale ” to learn about our rescue and Mabel’s best friend.