I wanted to assure her that he was my choice, but I had to talk to my kids first. Still, the way they were enjoying his company, I didn’t think I had anything to worry about. Coco nuzzled Josh’s hand, then trotted over to the toy box. He picked up a Frisbee and brought it back, dropping it at Josh’s feet.
Josh threw it, and Coco made some amazing catches. He always brought it back and dropped it for Josh to throw. After the third time, Coco surprised everyone by giving it to Savannah. He looked at her with his tongue hanging out like he was grinning, and she couldn’t resist his charm.
Savannah could throw just as well as Josh, and Coco had a great time. They switched to a ball, then a few other toys Coco found in the box. While the kids continued to play with Coco, Krista went back inside, giving us some privacy to make our decision.
Several minutes later, both Josh and Savannah sat on the lawn in the shade. Coco sat down right beside them. After a moment, he laid his chin on Savannah’s knee and gazed up at her with his big brown eyes. She was totally smitten and stroked his silky head with abandon.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked, sitting beside them.
“He’s great,” Josh said, thinking Coco was perfect. Almost too perfect. “I can’t believe someone let him go.”
“Yeah, I know,” I agreed. “I wonder what happened.”
“We have to keep him,” Savannah said. “It’s almost like he picked us, you know?” She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him there in that cage where he’d seemed so lonely.
“So you’re both good with him?” I asked, just to make sure. They both agreed, so I patted Coco’s head and looked him in the eyes. “You want to come home with us?”
He jumped to his feet and woofed, then he nuzzled Josh and Savannah, who both responded with lots of enthusiastic petting. Last, he approached me, sat on his haunches, and let out a woof that sounded just like home to me.
I was better prepared this time, so I didn’t fall over. Still, it was a shock to understand what he meant. “Okay, Coco. You’re coming home with us.” He woofed again, wagging his tail back and forth and doing a little dance like he was happy.
“Wow,” Josh said. “It’s like he understands exactly what we’re saying.”
“I think he does,” Savannah said, giving his head a loving pat. She clipped the leash onto his collar, and we headed into the shelter.
It didn’t take long to fill out all the paperwork and pay the fee. All of the staff members couldn’t get over the change in Coco, telling us he was a totally different dog. Krista even got a little emotional and gushed that she was so happy for him… and us… but I knew her tears were mostly for Coco.
On the way home, we stopped at a pet store and picked out a nice collar and leash. We made a name tag with our information to add to the collar. Then we grabbed a bag of dog food, some bowls, and a bed, along with everything else we could think of, including a Frisbee and some other toys Coco helped us pick out.
Coco was so well-behaved that I almost felt guilty. Almost… but mostly I just thanked my lucky stars to find such an amazing animal. On the way home, I picked up some of the same sentiments from Josh. He wondered where Coco had been and what had happened to him.
The shelter had said there were no signs of abuse, so that was good. He was most likely between two and four years old. I hoped the vet we’d decided on could tell us more about his age. Other than that, there just wasn’t a lot of information to go on.
I had heard one of staff members thinking that his owner might have died, and no one else had wanted him. That made sense to me, especially since he’d seemed depressed. Too bad he couldn’t tell us. Hmmm… but maybe I could pick up something about his past from him? Who knew? On the other hand, maybe it didn’t matter. He was with us now, and we’d take good care of him.
At home, the kids took Coco through each room in our house. After that, they took him outside to explore the yard, and I called Chris to tell him the news. “Wow. That was fast,” he said. “But he sounds pretty great.”
“He is. And I think he picked us.” I began to explain the circumstances, but didn’t get far before Chris had to go.
“Sorry. But I have a client who just arrived. Can you tell me the details when I get home?”
“You bet.” We said our goodbyes, and I went to the window that looked over the backyard and watched the kids play with Coco. Several minutes later, they all came inside, and the kids decided to take him for a walk.
After getting his leash, I made sure they took some bags along. I’d always hated it when dog owners let their dogs poop on my lawn without cleaning it up. Now that we were dog owners, there was no way we would ever do that.
My kids weren’t too excited about that part, but I knew they’d do it anyway. As they left, Coco turned back to look at me. He woofed, come. The kids tried to pull him along, but he wouldn’t budge. It was after one-thirty, and I had my appointment soon, so I couldn’t go. Would Coco understand? Now was a good time to find out.
I knelt beside him. “I can’t come right now, but Josh and Savannah will take care of you. Go on… you’ll be fine.”
“Come on Coco,” Savannah said. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Coco woofed
