Good-byes are always hard.
People used to ask me if sending cute puppies off to their new homes was hard. Honestly, those delivery days were some of my favorite days! Seeing the smiles on their new families faces and long anticipated meeting of human with baby canine was just the best!
It’s when I have to say farewell to an adult; whether they have only been with us a year or five. Those are the hardest good-byes for me.
But since we are retiring and I need to get my dog pack down to a manageable number, we are finding appropriate homes for those dogs that I think will transition to a new family. It’s only fair for them to have their own person or family that adores and spoils them more than I can with a bigger pack.
There will always be a little pack that will stay with me forever; those that are two old, too attached to me and the farm, or maybe have issues that I don’t want to hand over to someone else. (Yes, we have a couple Cavapoos that we’ve gotten back over the years with behavioral issues that the family couldn’t handle or didn’t want to deal with. Instead of those dogs going to the shelter or rescue, I took them back. I call them my “misfits” 😉 They are loved and treated well as the rest are, but they will be here forever.
Friday was one of those days. We said good-bye to our sweetest and softest (temperament-wise) boy, Asher. But he couldn’t have gone to a more perfect home. So that made the fare-well so much easier.
His new mom and dad drove about six hours to the farm to get him. His new mom and I go way back as she bought a Cavalier puppy from me years ago (our retired Cavalier, Rosie’s litter brother). Then she took another mom Cavalier that we retired, Ivy. Then she came back for a third dog and bought an Aussalier from our last litter of Aussaliers.
When she read that we were retiring and looking for some retirement homes, she said she had to reach out about the Cavaliers. (Her two Cavaliers had passed and she was longing for another). And the Aussalier she had gotten had become her finance’s best buddy.
When they arrived we introduced Aspen (the Aussalier) and Asher out in the back yard and then came in and sat on the floor and chatted for at least a couple hours. Asher was (per usual) “hiding” between the couch and chair (because there were new people and a strange dog in “his” house). But she patiently say near him just gently stroking his back as we chatted.
After they left, I sent them this family picture.
And she responded “Thank you sooo much! I am so in love with him already.”
And when they left instead of driving another six hours and making it a long ordeal for Ash, they spent the night in Spokane to break up the trip, just to make things easier on him (*cue* tears).
“We decided to stay the night in Spokane. Asher came right out of his crate and let me love on him, nudging my hand for more and he ate dinner.”
When I checked in on Sunday to see how the trip home went she sent me this update.
“Yes we made it home safely. He is doing amazing. He is so sweet and amazing on a leash sticks right by me, like your my safe person.”
“Our dogs (they also have a Golden and a Boxer) welcomed him into our home. I set up a Asher only zone where he can run too when he needs too.”
I’m so thankfully she reached out, because I think this was the best place for Asher and I know he is already well loved.
Have a wonderful retirement my sweet boy! <3
P.S. (Another quick update from this morning! See why it’s the perfect home)
“I so adore him… he ate a little bit the first night, since he wasn’t eating or drinking much. I know it to be expected however it was sitting well with me… So I bought some chicken broth, I spoon fed him chicken broth and water 
