A Story....

A long long time ago....
Okay, it was only June 3, 2002.

I had been living with my cousins as a nanny about 2 1/2 hours from home. It was the end of the school year and, since their mom is a teacher, I was no longer needed to watch them. It was time to move home, and it was decided that I would move into my grandmother's house, which was empty at the time. It would be the first time I lived on my own, and more than anything, I wanted to get my very own dog.

So, I did what any girl like me would do....I prayed for one.

I prayed that I would be able to find the perfect dog. I had a vision in my head of the "perfect dog," even though, for me that was just a mutt. It was medium sized, a bit shaggy, with a fluffy tail, and soulful eyes. I would name it Beasley. I envisioned getting settled in my new home, then heading to the SPCA, where Beasley would be waiting for me to take him home to play fetch in the yard. Right.....

I decided not to be too specific in my prayer, because I knew that God would send me whatever He wanted me to have anyway. So, I just asked for a dog that needed a loving home. My only request was that it not be a rottweiler (eek) or a little 'fru-fru' dog. If you know me at all, you know that I'm not exactly the 'fru-fru' type!

So, as I drove home, my car packed with a year's worth of stuff, I prayed.

I was supposed to be meeting my mom at a restaurant for dinner that evening. I don't even remember where...Chi Chi's maybe?? I took a wrong turn, forgetting that it was 'one way' and I wouldn't be able to get where I wanted to go. So, I took a shortcut through the parking lot of the Weis Markets. I drove around the side, and was going to scoot out the other side, when I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye.

There, in the way back of the parking lot was a small black dog. At first I thought it might be a cat, until I saw it walk. Being a dog lover, I couldn't just drive past (no matter how hungry I was!). I turned right and circled around the edge of the parking lot to where the dog was. I parked and got out of the car. The dog, which I could now see more clearly, was very shaggy and matted. It's fur grew down over it's eyes so that I couldn't even look into its face. Upon further inspection, I saw that it was a . . . . . poodle.

It looked at me and walked away. I tried calling to it, but it only glanced at me and walked a few more steps further. I started to get back in the car, figuring I couldn't catch it if I tried, but all of the sudden, it turned. It walked right up to me and sat down.

I talked to it. Naturally, it didn't respond, but I still felt better about the situation if I was friendly toward the poodle. It just looked at me. Well, I guess it looked at me....I couldn't see its eyes.

By this time, my mom had called my cell phone when I didn't show up at the restaurant, and when I explained what happened, she joined me in the parking lot. She lifted the poodle up and we saw that it was a girl. She was wearing an old ratty cat collar with a bow that had seen its better days. It looked like she hadn't had her hair cut in years.

There was no one around. It looked like someone may have left her some crumbled up doggy biscuits and a small dish of water. But, upon further inspection, we saw that she only had four very crooked teeth. I picked her up and put her in a basket that I had in my car. I drove up to the front of the store to see if anyone might know of a lost dog.

The first thing she did was pop up out of the basket and put her paws up on the dashboard.

Some people said they had tried throughout the day to catch her and she wouldn't let anyone get near her. They had left the dog biscuits and water for her, but didn't know where she came from or when she came. No one had reported a missing dog. I left my phone number with a store employee and took her home.

I didn't have a leash, so I tied a long string to her collar, but she didn't need it. She followed me everywhere. I called the SPCA, the animal rescue, the animal control, and various other 'official animal people.' No one was looking for a small black poodle. I left my name and number, but no one called me back. One person told me I had to take her to the SPCA, but if I did, they would probably just put her to sleep because she was old.

Meanwhile, she had made herself at home. When it was time for bed, she trotted down the hall, looking back over her shoulder at me, as if to say "Come on!" When we got to the bedroom, I presented her with a nice crate with blankets and pillows just for her. She inspected it, and promptly jumped up onto my bed and curled up.

Now, I know I had prayed for a dog. That day even. But, I had said no 'fru-fru' dogs please. And I thought, "God, a poodle???" But, God had answered my prayer in a way I could not have even begun to imagine.

No one claimed her, and she made her home with me. I gave her the name Erma. She got a haircut and came home with bows in her hair. She went to the vet and we found out she was about 14 years old!

Today, over 6 years later, she is still with me. She still follows me around everywhere. She still sleeps on my bed, snuggled by my feet. She is almost blind, and mostly deaf, and has to wear a diaper most of the time. She gets disoriented some of the time, and I have had to rescue her from some funny situations. But, she still loves me with all of her heart. And I love her with all of mine.

Finding Erma has taught me a lot of things. First of all, it has taught me that God does answer prayers, no matter how silly they are. He might not answer in the way you think He should, but His way is definitely always the best. I have also learned about unconditional love. Erma loves me no matter what I do. No matter what kind of day I have, or what kind of grumpy mood I am in, she still loves me the same. You can't say that for many humans.

Today, I found out that Erma has cancer. At least that's what the x-ray suggests. My mind knows she cannot live forever, but my heart cannot quite grasp that fact yet. She is too old to have surgery. She will take medications and we will make her comfortable.

But, I may not have her for many more days......and that makes me so sad.