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It took some time.

A lot longer than I had anticipated.

The memory of Lucy still lingers to this day. There were times where I caught myself staring at an empty spot on the floor for what seemed like hours. Imagining her there. Missing her.

My wife missed her too. It was tougher for her, at times, so soon after the loss of her Father. There were some really tough days and nights. To be honest, we both were pretty much stunned, hurt & dazed for quite a while.

Then there was Belle. The one who shared nearly every moment of every day with Lucy. She hung her head lower and often laid on Lucy's pillow. Obviously mourning the loss of her valued friend. Her sister.

But, as the Beatle song goes..."Life goes on within you & without you."

I think we all needed a sea-change.

And then there was Addie.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the three of us (myself, Ellen & Belle) ventured out to a local PetSmart. It was adoption day. Dozens of homeless, often abandoned or abused, dogs sat in their individual pens awaiting a "get out of jail free" card. None really leapt out as "the perfect choice". A couple were cute enough. But one caught our attention. Her name was Irene. While most dogs barked, played and did...you know...dog stuff, Irene sat in her cage napping. Maybe she had been to a few of these & figured "let the chips fall where they may... I need a nap".

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She was small, around eight months old and a mixed breed. After interrupting her slumber, we took her to the side to see how she and Belle reacted to one another. We figured that Lucy was the dominant dog and Belle might like the new playmate to be smaller. This would allow Belle to "graduate" into the role of head honcho. They seemed to like one another. Checking each other out. The typical sniff-a-rama. Not much was known of Irene's life before being rescued. Probably for the best. But she had a nice disposition, had all of her shots & was recently spayed. After much hand wringing and reed thin consideration of other dogs, we made the decision. Irene was coming home.

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Two things would have to be done. One...the name. Irene was the name of my wife's beloved grandmother. While on the surface, it seemed like a nice homage. But, we thought a clean slate was in order. We decided to name her Addison or Addie for short. The second...we couldn't fall into the trap of comparing her to Lucy. Lucy was a one in kazillion dog. Sweet, quiet and easy going.

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Addie is the complete polar opposite.

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Oh she's sweet. Cute. Lovable. But I have never seen such an energetic dog. She's 14 lbs of solid muscle, wants to play at 4am and that idea about Belle being the dominant dog? Nice theory. Nobody told Addie. But they play throughout the day. At least until Belle decides she's had enough and retires to her kennel for a little peace & quiet. But Belle was happy again. We all were.

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It took us all a while to get acclimated. Addie too. But a few weeks, a pair of chewed tennis shoes and a little lost sleep later...

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The new family dynamic is firing on all cylinders.

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And somewhere Lucy is smiling.