We lost our beloved mutt Sammy over a year ago, still missed her and weren't actively looking for a replacement
But, like many love stories, this. one happened unexpectedly.
It all started in February.
I was with a friend whose son texted her a photo of three puppies.
Now pay attention, because this puppy tale takes a long and winding road.
My friend's son's girlfriend's family was on vacation when a small, furry dog suddenly approached them while they were relaxing on a beach in Puerto Rico.
The pooch appeared to be hungry and alone, and when they tried to locate her owner, a local resident told them that they'd have no luck. Turns out that the area where they found her was known as Dead Dog Beach, a well-known spot in Puerto Rico where people abandon pets they no longer want.
It was apparent that Wookie, as the family named her, was a throw-away animal and even though they were "cat people," they decided to bring the little mutt home to the States. They called the airline to add her to their entourage, bought a small dog carrier and successfully whisked her past the scrutinizing eyes of Customs' agents.
One of the family's daughters took Wookie back to college with her in Washington D.C. When this college kid brought the pooch to a vet for a checkup, she found out that the dog was pregnant, and soon Wookie gave birth to three puppies, two boys and a girl, at midnight in her new owner's dorm room.
All three needed a good home, so my friend - the one whose son's girlfriend's family had rescued Wookie - asked me if I was interested.
I was on board, so I texted Dave about his thoughts on adopting a puppy and he responded with the dreaded phrase "It's up to you."
Everyone knows that those four little words can be used against you in a court of law - or at least in an argument - so I sent him the puppy photo. It was worth a million words and he responded with just two: "Get her."
I gave Dave naming rights and he dubbed her "Emily," which sounded more like a Bronte character than a Latino sweetheart, but a promise is a promise.
College officials frown upon a litter of puppies residing in their dormitories, so after the babies were born and until they were weaned, Wookie and her puppies were cared for by the mother of the family who had first found the stray on Dead Dog Beach. She fed, cleaned and loved all four of the dogs, unexpectedly turning her home into a doggy day care for two entire months.
When Dave and I picked up eight-week-old Emily, she wasn't quite four pounds, but had the feistiness of a rottweiler and the big brown eyes of a Kewpie Doll.
Today, she is far from her roots in Puerto Rico, but seems happy hanging with me in my home office in Philly.
Dave and I are smitten and busy cleaning-up after Little Miss until we get this whole housebreaking deal down pat.
We're so grateful for all of the caring folks who helped orchestrate Emily's unlikely pilgrimage, especially the selfless family who discovered - and fell in love with - her homeless Mom.
People ask us, "What breed is she?" but we don't have a clue.
All we know is that we weren't looking for a dog, but it seems that a dog found us.
Thanks, serendipity. Can't wait to see how this love story unfolds.
Visit The Sato Project (thesatoproject.org) to learn about an organization that rescues canines from Dead Dog Beach, where Emily's Mom Wookie was abandoned.