Welcome home, Tennessee

When I saw Tennessee's picture on PetFinder, it called to me.  There was something about the soulful expression of this sweet-looking dog that made me want to meet him, even though I couldn't imagine that he hadn't already found the perfect home.

As it turned out, he hadn't, and his kind foster Mom, Marie, graciously invited me to drive down to her home in Connecticut to see if we might be a match.  When I arrived there this morning, Tennessee greeted me a bit tentatively before I could even get out of my car, letting out a few half-hearted woofs, as if he considered it his duty to announce my arrival.  But he soon approached me with polite curiosity, and seemed to welcome the gentle touch of my hands and fingers as they caressed his soft body.  Marie said this was the first time Tennessee had shown such interest in a prospective adopter, and I cautiously held my breath, hoping that the spell wouldn't be broken.

It wasn't.  With each passing moment in the company of this doe-eyed dog, I could feel my heart melting more.  I can't say it was love at first sight, because I could see how much Tennessee loved Marie, and I knew that if it were up to him, he'd happily have stayed with her forever.  But at the same time, I sensed that this cinnamon-coated boy might let me into his special world, too.  He willingly jumped into the back seat of my car, though he started to fret a bit when he realized that we were literally leaving his comfort zone.  Once on the highway, he settled right in, and even relaxed enough to take a nap.

It was what happened when we got here that seemed so remarkable.  Within seconds after we walked in the door, my feisty cat, Django, marched right up to "Tenny" to welcome him, immediately sensing that the big dog meant him no harm.  His older brother, the orange tiger, Neil, soon followed, never even blinking as he ventured close enough to sniff.  So far, so good.

If I had any concerns about how my dear Springer Spaniel, Tish, would react to the newcomer, they vanished when she simply looked at Tenny as if he had always lived here.  And honestly, that's how it feels.

Welcome home, Tennessee.  Welcome home.