I am writing this letter to you, Puppy, from the hearts of your forever Mom and Dad.

Something was missing from our life; a piece of us had so much love to give with no place to put it. After days and weeks of talking about it, your Daddy and I realized that what was missing, was you. We didn't know you existed when we started our wonderful DAR&E adventure. It seemed like forever before we could visit any of your friends, including you. Then our time came. We got to meet one big red boy and one fantastic little girl before we had the pleasure to meet you at a playgroup for the first time. Within those 2 hours, you managed to dazzle us with the amount of love and tenderness you were willing to share. Also, we had never seen a real "fawn" Dobe before. Though a little skinny, you were so handsome!

A week later, on 03/06/04, we asked Colleen (who was fostering you) if we could maybe come by to see you and bring you some treats. As we rang the door bell and heard 3 different barks in the house our hearts started to pound. We weren't sure if you were going to want to come home. When we sat on the couch and you chose to lay down by us, your little bonny butt on my foot, we both knew. It only took 30 seconds to realize that what everybody had told us was true: "Don't worry! When you find the right one, you'll know!" Well, you found us and we found you. It is so easy and effortless to love you. You are such a ray of sunshine. I will never be able to understand the man who gave you up and didn't treat you right. I do have to thank him for one thing though: giving DAR&E the opportunity to care for you and bring you into our lives. For the first month, you didn't bark, you didn't counter-surf. You were scared of the broom, loud noises, bicycles and many more things. Fetching a ball was not your thing and it would have never come to you to destroy a stuffy. On May 1st, you graduated obedience school and did so well!! You even learned to wave, give us high-fives, and roll-over. All these tricks and new skills boosted your confidence. As I look at you I am always amazed to see… you are getting bolder every day. Warning us when someone approaches the house, or when something is out of place. You make us laugh when you play ball or manage to gut a stuffy out in 30 seconds.

You turned 2 years old exactly 10 days after your adoption. That day, we had cake and presents, visited Daddy at work and celebrated all day long. It was also the day I realized how fast that little nub of yours could wag and how happy you looked. I hope that now that you are home, every day feels like your birthday, for the rest of your life.

Love,
Mom and Dad
(Alice Crouan and Pete Friedman)