It wasn’t our only focus—service dogs. But it was our most important work. Service dog training was a huge commitment. Most dogs needed at least a year of extensive training. And it was rewarding and heartbreaking at the same time. It was alwayshard to let them go, even if they were never ours from the beginning.
So, to mitigate those complex emotions, we only did small groups and agreed to have a year break between.
In that time, we did all sorts of things. Puppy classes. General training. Working with “problem” dogs for both individuals and local shelters (that part, being at no charge). And, yes, we did some very careful work with personal protection animals. We’d started with Stas and Czar’s Rotties. And we’d done five other dogs since then. One for an actual celebrity, which had been fun—seeing them walking around our little nowhere town, getting gawked at and papped by the locals.
“Alright, you need to get going if you’re going to meet the transport,” Emma said, taking the puppy’s leash from me.
We all took turns taking the service dogs home so no one trainer got too attached to them. And so they didn’t get too attached to us. It was Emma’s night. Because I had to drive out of Shady Valley to pick up a little present for my husband.
Husband.
God.
That still sounded weird.
And we’d been married over a year.
Admittedly, it wasn’t a step I’d been overly concerned about taking. In my mind, we were happy and committed. Why did we have to bring the law into it? But when he got down on his knee with that ring box in his hand, I have to admit, some part of me melted like freaking butter.
It wasn’t about the contracts.
It was about the symbol.
The proof on my hand that said this man chose me and would keep choosing me. Every single day. For the rest of our lives.
I liked that.
And I liked that he had my staked claim on his hand too. Because it hadn’t escaped me how many women in town drooled over him. And they needed to know he belonged to me.
It wasn’t that I doubted Colter’s loyalty. After what he’d been through, there wasn’t anyone on the planet I trusted to be faithful to me more than him.
I just wanted the women to know to find their own gift-basket-making men.Good luck, I got the only one.
The wedding had been small and private. I hadn’t worn a dress. He hadn’t worn a suit. Our dogs, however, had been dressed to the nines.
“Don’t forget to grab a leash and a stuffy,” Emma called as I turned to run after checking the time.
I did just that, then jumped into my giant SUV.
I still had my bike.
Colter and I liked going for rides.
But for daily practicality, I needed my SUV. I was always carting around our dogs or someone else’s dogs.
Including today.
Sugar, Mack, and Molly were at home with Colter. And he thought I was working all day with the service puppies.
He had no idea I was going to pick up a surprise for him.
Because of the nature of my work, my social media was full of dogs. Dog daycares. Dog spas. Dog trainers. Dog enrichment programs. And, yes, dog rescues.
I’d just been scrolling mindlessly a few nights ago when I saw it. Him.
A rescue organization that brought up dogs from the South had posted a group of dogs that didn’t have a foster or home yet, and were going to be left behind in the overcrowded shelter to an unknown fate if they didn’t have anyone show interest so they could travel.
He was a twelve-week-old, long-eared, wrinkled, tri-colored, purebred Basset Hound. Just like the dog Colter had loved when he was young.
