Shout Out to My Roo! It's His Found Day!

Today is a day worth celebrating. A day I'll remember forever, and always be grateful for. Six years ago today, on July 13, this very special dog crossed my path and changed my life for eternity.

It was a hot Wednesday afternoon, just like today. As I walked down 7th East on my way home from the BYU campus, I spotted this furry guy running up to each pedestrian. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth about as far as it could while he begged each person for love. I watched as they all shooed him away, one by one.

Then, he darted across the street to me.

I couldn't resist his charm. I gave him some leftover pizza that I had from lunch, and that was all it took. We were instant best buddies. Then he followed me home. After giving him some water, I took the above photo, gave him a bath, and set out to find his owners. I put up signs, called animal control, and notified the local police. Nobody was looking for him.

That night, I looked at him and asked, "Dog, what's your name?"

"RooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

This dog had spoken. Roo it was.

I had worked enough with a local animal rescue group to know that he didn't have much of a chance of survival at the pound. I couldn't keep him in the place I was living, and knew that I had 2 options: turn the sweet guy over for an imminent death, or move elsewhere and keep him myself.

Funny thing, that week some remake of "Listen to Your Heart" was playing on the radio. I remember hearing the lyrics "listen to your heart... before you tell him goodbye"and just knowing that I needed to keep him. Some people probably thought I was crazy, but I had the strongest feeling that this street dog had come into my life for a reason. He needed me, and I needed him.

Once I moved to a place where I could keep him, Roo introduced me to Brian. Then, as Roo, Brian & I went for countless walks together over the space of about 3 years, a funny thing happened. Brian and I became best friends. We fell in love. Got married. Got Rudy another dog. Had a baby.

All because of this lovable street dog. If it weren't for him, my family wouldn't exist. When I say that Rudy's changed my life for eternity, I'm not exaggerating.

Thinking about it, Rudy's made a huge impact on some other people's lives as well.

• The day I moved to that 1st place where I could keep Rudy, my neighbor volunteered to watch him for me. He sat on his lawn (the corner of a semi-busy street), strumming his guitar with Rudy tethered beside him. While sitting there, girl after girl would walk by and ask, "Hey, can I pet your dog?" He and his roommate BOTH met their wives that day.
• My friend Melinda, wanting to be in my ward (church congregation based on neighborhood boundaries), moved into those same apartments where I could keep Rudy. She met her husband there.
• I met one of my closest friends, Olia, while walking Roo. Without Rudy's help, she and I would have never become friends. 

Besides being The Love Dog & The Friendship Maker, Rudy has chased away bad guys, rescued me from a river, been an awesome nanny to his new baby, and has taught me much about the kind of loyalty and forgiveness I want to have for important people in my life.

Happy Found Day, Roo Dog! I'll never be able to thank you enough for all the blessings you've brought into my life.