Goodbye... and Hello?

It's been an emotional week at our house. Our Australian Cattle dog, Hazel, had to go to a new home on Tuesday night. We have been talking about "what to do about Hazel" for months. It's not that Hazel is a bad dog-- she really isn't... really we just weren't the best owners for her.

The problem is a classic one-- family decides they'd like to have a dog for hiking trips and around the house, mom brings kids to the pound to look at puppies and they come home with one. Did Mom research the breed-- uh, no. Did Mom consider that Hubby wouldn't be able to do all the training since he's at work all day--uh, no. Did Mom think about how she'd feel about said puppy if she got pregnant with baby #3--uh, no. For the logical person that I am, I failed miserably where it came to Hazel.

So, after eight months of trying to keep Hazel from escaping and jumping up on everyone, along with having a living breathing Hoover in the kitchen, and a pal who's always up for a game of fetch, Hazel has moved on. Jared posted a listing on craigslist last Sunday and literally 30 minutes later, she had a home. She went to a 20-something lady living with her parents in a big house with a fenced yard in the mountains. They've had Australian Cattle dogs before and love them. They were thrilled to find her and we were thrilled they did. God didn't take long to answer our prayer once we took the first step. It's bittersweet not having Hazel-- there's definitely less stress around the house, but I missed being able to toss the carrots nubbins to her while fixing dinner. And she wasn't there to beg for ice when I filled my glass. I miss her.

The funny thing is, though, our nest isn't really empty (the pet nest that is!). A few days before Hazel left, we were adopted. It wasn't our plan, but it seems to be the cat's plan that she's sticking with us. So, meet our outdoor cat (for now)... Daisy. She loves the kids and doesn't care what they do to her. Now I just have to decide if we're going to fork out the money to take her to the vet... I certainly don't want to have to deal with kittens! It's always something isn't it?