Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, Christmas gift shopping and tree trimming have begun, yet the treat du jour is still leftover turkey. It’s a good time to reflect on how thankful I am for my forever home.
It was an entirely different holiday weekend when I went to live with my new Mommy. She took me home on Good Friday! And what a good, no GREAT, Friday it was.

I was stretched out on the backroom couch, gnawing on TT (towel/toy) when she walked into the tobacco shop with a wad of cash to pay my ransom. It certainly felt like I’d been dog-napped, and kept in a place where only the bare necessities were provided, rather than the love and comforts I’d remembered from when I was a new puppy, before they shipped me off to live in a tobacco shop alone.
Now I was getting my second chance!
I jumped off the couch and ran over to her, barking and jumping in delight. She exchanged the cash and in return the tobacco shop owner gave her my carrier, TT, half of a bag of dry food, a 20 foot long red lead, and ME, of course.
I listened as they talked about me.
“I was only able to get $200 in cash right now, but will have the rest for you next week.” she said.
“Yeah, that’s cool. I DO know where you work,” he replied in an abrasive tone. The tobacco store owner had always been kind to me, playing with me whenever he came into the store, but I knew he could be difficult to tolerate on a good day and downright miserable on a bad one! My new Mommy didn’t seem bothered by him though.
“Yes, you do,” she laughed. Not really thinking much about him, I’m sure. Her mind had to be consumed with ME! “Oh, and by the way, I’m going to change her name to GiGi.”
A new name! I was starting my life over with a new identity. No more Chloe: tobacco shop pup. I was just GiGi. I might have had a rough start, but things were about to change, I could feel it.
“Oh yeah, so no more Chloe? Okay, she’s your dog now. You can call her what you want. Bye Chloe, or GiGi or whatever your name is.” He patted me on the head, and I jumped up to lick him. Dogs don’t hold grudges and he had kept me out of the cold at least. I figured I could give him a proper, sloppy goodbye!
After the goodbyes, they put me in my crate, he held the Door To Freedom open for us and into her car we went. Talk about a GOOD Friday!
As she drove me to my new home, I wasn’t able to see a lot through the door of the crate, but it didn’t matter. I was headed towards something that I couldn’t see, with no idea how I was getting there, but I had faith, and sometimes when that’s all you have, you discover that’s really all you need.
She talked to me as she drove.
“Okay GiGi, I’ve had two cats for the past 14 years. I’ve never owned a dog. I’ve lived with dogs and had dogs as a kid, but you are my first dog!”
‘Sweet!’ I barked. I didn’t care how much experience she had with dogs, or whether she’d ever owned another dog. All I cared about was a new home and a new life with my new Mommy.
Before I knew it, we were pulling into a driveway and she asked me, “Are you ready to see your new home, GiGi?”
She turned around, reached back and put her fingers through the crate doors, and I licked my ascent. Let’s do this!
‘Now get me out of this crate!!’ I barked.
She attached me to my lead, let me in the door and there I was, in my new home. Five rooms all for ME! There were chairs, and couches and a bed and blankets everywhere. And there was a room outside without a roof, and a big window behind the couch. There was so much to look at and smell and investigate.

I ran all over the place, from room to room, nose in every corner, jumping on the furniture, running non-stop. It was mine, all mine. My forever home.