My husband and I recently brought a new dog into our lives from a local shelter. We weren’t really looking seriously, but we went out a couple of times to investigate. It was a tough decision because we had become used to our freedom. What happens, both for us and the dog, if we get a really tough dog to handle, or if we have issues with training and adapting?

I called on all of our past dogs for help in the matter: "Please help us find a good dog, preferably small, no shedding, and obedient. When the time is right, let us know." Little did I know that soon after I put out the request we would find our dog!

When it's time for something new, put it "out there." Be specific, be clear, and believe. It may take time, but it will come.

Actually, first we found an older dog that was fully trained. He was very big and furry, but a dog we could help with some quality time at the end of his days. However, the day that we were going to have a look I listened to my intuition and felt that calling the shelter first would be wise. Good thing, because he had already been adopted, and it saved us the time and trip. I told my husband the news: sadly, this wasn’t the time. He suggested we go out anyway to have another look. We both figured we could get some ideas, but certainly didn’t want to make a hasty decision.

So off we went to find a shelter we had tried to locate once before, at the end of a long day with no directions. This time we found it, and then we found our dog! Kenzie was the only dog in the book that we asked to look at, and the only one we saw. We were both quiet, but something was pulling us to this dog. Sweet, quiet, well mannered, definitely not a small dog, and definitely a shedder!

With Kenzie came a huge commitment, as she was incredibly sick with bacterial pneumonia that the shelter didn’t know about because they had her for only a week, and she had been transported some distance. When we took her home, we discovered how sick Kenzie was within the first 24 hours. No wonder she was so quiet! Even with our seriously limited funds, we just knew that we had to help. We could not leave her or take her back. She almost didn’t live, but now she's thriving, rambunctious, interested, and smart. There is hair EVERYWHERE. Normally I would be having allergies, but I asked for some help with this, too. Funny, Kenzie doesn’t seem to bother them. We are all adapting, and we think she is pretty darn happy.

We thank our past dogs Dugen, Dixie, Piper and Mandy for their help in bringing us this new bundle of enthusiasm! (Even though the fur is flying and she is bigger rather than small.) We thank them for this good dog, because she is very smart and loving. Kenzie is a lot of work, but because of her, I am walking more than 10 miles each week. Because of her, I can go out in the early morning and be connected to nature. Because of her, my husband can be the dog whisperer once again. Because of her, my husband and I have something new to talk about, laugh about, and we are reminded that reaching out heals the heart.

So when it is time for something new, put it “out there.” Be specific, be positive, be clear, and believe. It may take time, but it will come. Remember that when we put it “out there”, and add in our negative “stuff”, it just doesn’t seem to materialize the way we want. Feel-good emotion allows the Law of Attraction to do its work!