Neighbors

Taylor and I have lived in a number of different cities, and we have only ever had neighbors that we would smile and wave at, with an occasional conversation about the weather or sports. But we have moved into the most wonderful neighborhood down here in Port Orange, FL. Our neighbors host Friday happy hours and holiday parties-- they even loaned us furniture when they noticed Taylor and I were living in a furniture-less house for our first 2 mos in Florida (bad movers-- it's a long story!)! They have gotten me into running recently--after a few glasses of wine of Labor Day, I agreed to run with them the following morning... and now we are training for the Disney 1/2 Marathon in January! Here's a picture of us after a 5K in Daytona... Kathy and I both won 3rd place in our age groups (Charlie is on the left). Also... soon after we moved in, Taylor met our next-door neighbors' (Charlie and Kathy) dog, Emma... She had a whippet/Italian Greyhound look to her with Gamer-esque mannerisms-- so you can imagine how hard and fast Taylor fell in love with her! And I was right there with him! We were her babysitters for about a year, and then a couple months ago, her 14 years caught up with her, and she left us :( I am tearing up as I write this-- she was one of those special dogs that captures your heart with the most sincere eyes and a personality that was just so human! Needless to say, everyone who knew sweet Emma was heartbroken when she passed away-- and her parents were absolutely devastated. They just started warming up to the idea of another dog a few weeks ago (Kathy was ready... Charlie was not quite there yet)...and luckily they are living next to someone who is just a little involved in dog rescue ;) They have met close to 10 dogs over the past couple of months-- I always bring my Florida rescues over to my house for walks and to introduce them to my socially awkward crew to get them out of the kennel-- but they have all been big labs or lab mixes, so they weren't the right fit. Last weekend, on the day I was leaving for Nashville for a whirlwind weekend of wedding planning with Anne and Suzanne, I mentioned that we (American Lab Rescue) had rescued a Lhasa Apso mix named Scotland.... Kathy asked me to send pictures, so I did and then left for my trip. While I was at the airport, I got an email that they wanted him!!! It then hit me that I had to find a way to get this little guy from Maynardville, TN to Port Orange, FL ... but that was just a minor detail. I was SO happy that they had decided to bring a dog back into their lives, this dog was going to get to them no matter what! Long story short, the shelter director agreed to help me out and drove Scotland to the Knoxville airport on Sunday morning, and I picked him up in Orlando on Sunday night when my flight landed and brought him back home with me!!! As we drove up the street, Charlie, Kathy, Pam, and Stu were waiting outside, huddled around an outdoor heater in a rare 45 degree Florida night... Pam took these pictures right after I handed Scotland to his new mom!!

Scotland is now Scooter, and he is doing great! He has gotten super attached to his mom, so they are working through some separation anxiety... but it is already improving, and he is the happiest little guy! His tail is always wagging, and he is coming out of his shell every day-- he has even started stealing shoes from Kathy's closet ;) It's amazing how much happiness one little dog can bring to so many people! We're so happy to have him in our neighborhood (and no, I am not speaking for my 4 when I say that-- they of course see him as yet another intruder... we're working on that ;)).