I'm a little jealous. Tia has now been further north on the western seaboard than I have. I didn't realize she had already left Sacramento when the deal was called off, so she got to go on an extended road trip. Once back in Sacramento, she headed to a pilot's home. Cindy, who I had met during the Italian Greyhound transport, was the one scheduled to fly Tia to Jason, another Pilots-N-Paws pilot I had met on another Patti transport, who would fly her all the way to me in Burbank. Cindy was supposed to put Tia in boarding until she could arrange the flight, but after meeting her, decided she'd rather have the girl in her home.
I was sent a video Cindy took of Tia running around in the dog park like a loon, tongue out, racing around, bouncing into dogs, having the time of her life. As Cindy calls out "Tia! Tia! Tia!" Tia comes running across the park at full speed and just as she goes out of the camera's sight, you can hear Cindy go, "Ooomph," and the screen goes black.
Yup, Tia still hasn't learn to stop of her own volition; gotta use a human as a bumper.
Knowing that Tia was having a good time and was well loved made her absence sit better with me. However, I was worried that the longer it took Tia to return, the more likely her potential adopters would bow out. A woman named Lauren had submitted an application the day Tia left. She said she watched Tia's video every day, pining away for her. I sent her more pictures in the hopes of keeping her interest. I didn't want to lose her. She lived in a townhouse with her boyfriend and worked at a business that allowed dogs in the offices and even had a dog park out back! Tia would be the social lady (well, she's not a lady, but whatever) she was born to be.
In return for me driving Deej, Patti did the homecheck for Tia. She lives nearby, and surprisingly, Lauren was totally okay with someone checking out her home to make sure it was safe and secure, even before meeting Tia. I had a feeling Season Two with Tia would be mighty brief. But getting a forever home is all I ever wanted for Tia.
I wondered if Tia would remember me. I mean, this was one traveling canine who had met a lot of people in the recent weeks and stayed with many folks. It's like those Mastercard commercials where the dog is on the road:
But even at the end of the third commercial, Badger remembers his family. And that's what I was to Tia: her family, her person.
I watched from just outside the terminal as Jason lifted Tia from behind his seat and placed her on the wing of his plane. She hadn't caught my eye yet, and was just going along on this adventure. When Jason started walking toward me, I waved, and I saw the spark of recognition in Tia's eyes. As she came closer I knelt down to greet her and Jason said, "Oh, you know her?"
"Yeah, I was her foster mom for six weeks," I said as I took the leash from him.
On the ground, Tia wiggled and waggled and burrowed herself into my side, trying to be on top of me and all around me all at once. I was overjoyed, just as she was, clearly.
As we walked back inside the terminal, a guy said to me, "Man, that dog was so happy to see you. We were all watching from the windows."
I must have been smiling ear to ear. I was all full of joy and pride. Tia was happy to see me. If she had thought I abandoned her, she certainly didn't now. She still loved me.
I tried to capture a picture of Jason and Tia together, but Tia was still in spaz mode, trying to scratch her back on the grass. Not terribly graceful.
Even trying to get a picture of her and me ended up not capturing her face or mine.
Tia was overjoyed, but completely exhausted. She was even prepared to drive if I didn't get a move on. She wanted to go home.
Once in her own seat, she fell fast asleep. It had been a tiring day for her.
I didn't now if they fed her or not, so she might have been hungry too. I watched her consume a large twig while I was chatting with Jason at the airport.
Back at home, she really was at home.
I was reminded of Murphy, who after his brief almost-forever home last year he came back with me that night and collapsed on my lap on the couch: "Thank heavens. What a trying day. I'm so glad I'm back."
I think Tia enjoyed her adventures, but she also seemed so content, peaceful, and happy to just be back to something familiar, with me, on the couch.
And I was happy too. I didn't know how to tell her we might only have four hours together. I told Lauren I would meet her with Tia at 8:00 at her house. And I knew, I just knew, Tia probably wouldn't be returning with me that night.
I packed up what remained of her food from before and gathered her paperwork. Maripat had emailed Lauren the adoption contract in case they decided to pull the trigger that night. Everyone had fallen in love with her along the way; I couldn't imagine this couple wouldn't fall for her. I just had to see if Tia fell for them.
I explained to Tia on our ride that this was it: that she had to tell me if she liked these folks or not, since they really wanted her. But it was her decision. The dog always chooses the human; you have no say in the matter.
I left the food in the truck, and only brought Tia in to meet them. Lauren and Kevin, her boyfriend, were really sweet. The townhouse was spacious, uncluttered, and very clean. I could see why Patti gave it overwhelming thumbs up. In fact Patti said she'd like to give them one of her adoptable dogs, but they only wanted Tia.
I'm sure Tia thought these were just some of my friends for her to meet. She was polite and sat on Kevin's lap (she's totally a boy's dog). She gave him kisses, and was polite to Lauren too. Tia took a tour, as did I and eventually in the upstairs portion as Lauren, Kevin, and I spoke, Tia appeared bored. First she headed downstairs and I told her it was awfully rude, given that we were here for her sake not mine. When she came back, she collapsed on the floor to take a nap.
I do think she was exhausted from travel. And perhaps some indigestion. The first time I took her out to go to the bathroom, I noticed that her poop was really hard and dark. I planned on asking Cindy what she had been feeding her since with me, it was always way too soft. Whatever fiber Cindy was giving her must be good for her.
But the next time Tia pooped, I noticed an odd color: bright green. Did Tia become a vegetarian? I walked over to the cracked-open turd, picked it up, and really looked at it. Nope, that's not plant; that's a tennis ball. Or Kong squeaky toy. Yup, there's the rubber part, the green fuzz, oh yes, and the stick I saw her eat at the airport. As I stood there holding the turd a few inches away from my face, trying to decipher its contents, I filed the experience in my mind as a "why I'm still single" moment.
With Tia peacefully sleeping on the floor and having gone over everything about Tia that I could think of, finally Kevin said from the beanbag chair, "So, what do we do now? I mean how do we get to keep her?"
Lauren let out a relieved sigh. "I've been waiting for that."
Here's how it worked: Lauren would find all these dogs online and forward them on to Kevin with, "How about this one?" or "What about this one?" After many an email, when he saw Tia he finally said, "Okay, let's meet this one." Lauren had already fallen in love with Tia before meeting her, just as I had. She just needed Kevin to be just as much in love. And he clearly was.
I think this picture is symbolic of how Tia will be treating him--just walking all over him, and he's enjoying every second of it.
She really is a boy's dog. Even though it was Lauren who found her, I think she's going to be Kevin's dog. At one point while on the couch with Tia on his lap and Lauren next to him, he proudly said to Tia, "Awww, now I have my girls."
Lauren and I walked out to my truck to get the dogfood and give Tia a chance to pee if she needed to. I asked Lauren if she wanted to wait a day to have Tia. I could certainly have her one night and that would give them time to get a dog bed, food bowls, etc. Lauren thought that was a good idea. So, as soon as we got back inside, Lauren made the suggestion:
"So Stephanie had an idea We can wait until tomorrow night to get Tia. That way we have dog food bowls, and a leash and collar, and bed and everything and have the whole weekend to start with her."
Kevin's face dropped. He looked over at what looked like cat bowls on a shelf. "We can use those for now." He made his case quite clear, if his sad expression didn't adequately state it. "No, Tia's not leaving. I want her to stay."
And that was it. Once the contract was signed and the money sent to Maripat, that was the end of the story for Tia and me. Again, Tia didn't know. It was a much happier occasion for me, of course. Much better than putting her in a van and driving away. Yet when that happened, she didn't seem the least bit upset. But this time she was, and her face made my heart break.
I gave her a hug and a kiss and smiled at her. "You're home, Tia. You didn't get just a boy. You got a boy AND a girl. How awesome is that? I'm so happy for you. I'll miss you. I love you. But you stay here, okay? You have a good life here."
I stood up from the couch and Tia tried to follow. Kevin held her collar to keep her from following me.
"But.... But..." Tia's face said. "I just got you back. Don't leave me again."
I kept smiling, hoping she would understand, hoping she would get that I wasn't abandoning her. This time I was truly completing the mission: bringing her home.
"You can visit her anytime and check in whenever," Kevin offered.
I will indeed check in. But I don't know how Tia would handle me stopping in. I think that would be confusing for her--until she really has a chance to bond with her family.
Never seeing her again was always going to happen. As much as seeing her sad face hurt me, I drove away knowing it was the right place for her to be. I didn't even get one more night with her, but that probably would have made it harder.
Every dog stays in my heart forever, and every dog is special to me. But Tia was like Harry; a little more special than the others. I can't explain why or how. I can feel bad that she thought I was her person. But really, when I'm completely honest about it, I feel lucky and am so proud that a dog as great as Tia chose me. She's a special dog, and a well-travelled one now too. She got to share her love and herself with so many people and dogs, and I know she'll continue to do so where she is for the rest of her life.
Lauren emailed me and said Tia did wonderfully the first day on the job. She's already made some new dog friends, and is content to be with Lauren at her desk. It's the life Tia deserves, and I feel so blessed to have been such a big part of her journey getting there.
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