Grandpa Sending Me Messages From Heaven

As I stated in another story my maternal grandfather died in 1990. A few months after we moved into our current home I was reading the pet adoption ads. I saw an ad for a Husky rescue, they had a dog named Niko for adoption. I called the number but after speaking to the woman I didn't think the dog would be a fit with my 3 other dogs. After I hung up the phone I had a nagging pestering feeling that wouldn't stop, like someone was trying to tell me something. I knew it was my grandfather who was a great dog lover. They would go out of their way to be near him. Something that also happens to me. I told my husband I had to at least see the dog so I called the lady back and went right over to her house.

When I got there she tried to show me other dogs but I told her I wanted to see Niko. She brought him from the basement and he ran right over to me and laid at my feet on his back so I could rub his tummy. She was amazed and told me that he had never done that for anyone before, even her. Then I stood up tapped my chest and he gently jumped up to lick my face. I told her I wasn't leaving without him. I also told her that he was an Alaskan Malamute not a Siberian Husky, she didn't know the difference. She rushed me through the adoption papers as if she wanted me out quickly. He was emaciated and I caught a lot of garbage from other clients at my vets office. I told them I had just adopted him and the receptionist told them that I was the one who would fatten him up.

Niko was a great dog. When one of my other dogs had to be euthanized he actually consoled me whenever I cried. He welcomed the new dog when I brought her home. He consoled me again when another dog had to be euthanized. When I brought home a puppy a couple of months later he acted like a proud daddy. We had named the pup Demon because he was acting like a little devil like the dog in Snow Dogs. D as we call him now has a smile that scares the hell out of everyone who doesn't know him. They became best of friends. Two years later when our friends wouldn't let their tenants, also friends, keep a Pit Bull puppy we ended up keeping him so we had a full house of 5 dogs and once again Niko was like a proud daddy. Niko and D were practically glued to me when my father died. Unfortunately Niko had a heart attack 10 months later and there was only 50% chance he would survive so we had to euthanize him, he was only 8 years old. D took over the job of consoling me even though he was deeply sad himself.

A few weeks later I had a dream that my next dog would be a black fuzzy female puppy. It was such a vivid dream I knew it was a message. I couldn't worry about that because I found out about 6 weeks later I needed major back surgery. When I felt better I went to the local animal shelter and found a dog that didn't quite fit the dog in the dream but I put my name down to adopt the dog. I called my husband when I got home to tell him and he said he wanted to see the dog. This is unusual because I usually pick the dog and he's fine with it. My two boys wanted to come with me to wait for my husband. As we were waiting for my husband a couple drove into the parking lot in a pick up truck with a cap. I watched as the husband pulled the puppy out. It was the dog from my dream. I asked how old she was and the man asked me how I knew the dog was a she as the way he was holding her I couldn't see anything. I told the couple about the dream right down to where we would meet.

By the end of my story they were both crying. They told me that she was the only puppy out of nine that survived. The mother is a Border Collie and maybe Collie mix and the father a huge Newfoundland Hound. They told me that she was becoming too much for her mother so they had to give her up. I named her Cali. When I got her home I checked her out and she had fly bites on her ears and was emaciated. So I had adopted another dog that needed much care and she is my shadow. I don't know what happened to her before I got her but to this day she is still skittish about certain things. But like Niko she is a caring dog.