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Dear Stephanie & Todd,
![]() ![]() Luna Like we did when we sent you Sally, we cleared our scheduled, giving up our extra-curricular activities here on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge to devote ourselves to finding just the right dog. We didn't mind: It was a labor of love! Given the long line of terrier mixes who've served admirably as Belcher dogs, we focused on terriers and narrowed our list to a few final candidates. But then, one night while the three of us were chewing bones and watching Sally snooze on channel 740, Joey wandered off, returning with a photo and resume of a dog who looked nothing like a terrier. ![]() "Interests: Food. Food. Food. Food. Food. Also, food." "Secondary interests: Walks, car rides, running, playing, clashing." "Tertiary interests: Toys, bones, naps." "Well, look at that!" I said. "She likes all the things we like! Amazing!" I continued reading. "Special skills: Very cuddly; agile jumper (can leap onto a table in a single bound, especially if there's food on the table); dedicated forager; sound sleeper." ![]() I read on. "Skills: Quick learner, team player, hard worker, experienced branch manager." "Dislikes: Pool floats." "Hmm," I said to Freddie and Joey. "The pool floats thing could be a problem. Stephanie and Todd have a lot (A LOT!) of pool floats." ![]() Freddie, who hadn't said a woof as I read, reached for the photo, holding it up to Joey for comparison. ![]() "You think so?" Joey said, a slight smile crossing his snout. "I don't pay much attention to appearances." (It is important to note here that since you adopted Sally into the Belcher pack, Freddie has not stopped talking about how much Sally resembles her. "Look at that face! That fluffy coat! That coloring! Isn't she the cutest dog you've ever seen?" she asks Joey and me every night as we watch you all on TV. "Well," we tell her, "she's the second cutest dog we've ever seen. You'll always be the first cutest!") ![]() We all agreed that while we're partial to terriers, "mixed" is probably the best breed of all. Freddie laid back down and chewed on her bone for a bit. "What shall we name her?" ![]() After we tired ourselves out, we settled in the cool grass. "Well," Freddie said, a little exasperated. "We still haven't named her." The moon was only a sliver that night yet it was a bright white, brilliant against the black sky. "Luna," Joey said. "Her name is Luna." Freddie didn't even think to argue. We've been binge watching all the new episodes of "Sally and Luna" on channel 740. We didn't plan for her first weeks with you to coincide with stay-at-home orders (even we dogs couldn't have predicted the pandemic) but we think it's worked out well that you've been able to spend so much time together. And car rides with your primary pack are definitely allowed under social distancing guidelines! ![]() When she and I returned, Joey was watching TV. On the screen was Luna, taking a nap under the boxwoods alongside your patio in a hole Joey had worked so hard to dig years ago. Here, on this side of the Rainbow Bridge, Joey curled into a cozy ball. On your side of the bridge, Luna did the same. Soon, they were breathing together, separated by the Rainbow Bridge but linked together knowing how much they both are loved. ![]()
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