2.5 years of waiting. 2.5 years of anticipation.

2.5 years of envisioning our fur baby addition. 

In 2022 we went to an event called dogs with jobs. We went just to see Audrey light up around the dogs but while we were there we were approached by an organization. They saw Audrey’s reaction and excitement and began to tell us why she would be a perfect fit.

I came home that day at started the applications process. 

In the following year or so I did paperwork, interviews and finally we got to go check out the campus last April. There we were introduced to a mock day of what training would look like. We passed that final interview and were told that it would be our time late 2024.

Flash forward to this September. I got THE phone call that said our training date was set for October. We accepted and started to prepare to be away from our home for the duration of the two intense weeks of training. As you can imagine, lots of planning occurred but even more when you have a family like ours. Accommodations for Audrey were set in place, my husband took the time off work, we arranged my mom to come and help a few days as well. Lots to consider but we were ready to go, excited and a bit overwhelmed!

No matter how much we prepare though, the challenges of this life always seem to win.

The weekend we were set to leave, Audrey started to show signs of being sick. My anxiety quickly kicked into gear knowing how important these next two weeks would be. I reached out to the coordinators and was assured that as long as I was able to start, she could join in once she was feeling more herself. 

I had almost 2 full days of training away from Matt and Audrey. It was hard being away especially knowing she was sick but I was already learning so much and falling in love with these dogs. I couldn’t wait to see which one we would be matched with!

To my surprise yesterday afternoon I was pulled into a room and told that due to Audrey’s lack of interaction with the dogs, we would not be able to have a successful match. 

I was stunned. My heart broke. How would I explain this to my girl? We had been hyping this up for so long and my worst fear for this experience had come true.

Many tears later, I packed up all of our things and made the long drive home. 

We are feeling such a loss and so much sadness grieving this dog we were going to bring home and make part of our family at the end of next week.

These dogs are truly special and I know that our lives would be better with it. Our family isn’t quite complete… and we are left with a void. 

Right now I’m not focused on next steps since we are still processing it all. But I can’t even describe the frustration and distress this has put on all of us. 

Our family has made it through worse and we will be okay but damn, what a let down. 

We will continue to #KickCASK because that is what we have to do. 

If you don’t hear from me as much, this is the reason why.