I am still not sure how we got so lucky. She came to us two days before our lives were forever changed, and I KNOW she is an angel in a dog’s body.

Don’t ask me how I know this -because I don’t know- but tomorrow Thursday is National Black Dog Day. So this beauty is getting her 15 seconds of fame in this blog.

During 2020—the pandemic year—our kids stepped it up a notch, begging and begging for a dog. After the collective trauma we all endured, at different levels, the hubby and I decided we would give in and surprise them and for Christmas, we wrapped some dog toys in several boxes to let them know we were getting a dog! My love had started looking at shelters.

Our dear friend did not know this. One day in mid-January 2021, she texted me a picture of this beauty in the back of a car. “I have a picture and a story,” she said. “Call me when you can.”

So I did. And what a story it was.

Her stepson and a friend were driving back to Maryland from Missouri. As they were driving on a highway full of semitrailers, they saw a dog bolt across the highway, barely avoiding getting hit. They immediately pulled over onto the shoulder and slowly backed up to find her. In what they described as a very traumatic experience, they managed to get her safely across the highway lanes and back to them.

She was so scared and didn’t have a collar, so they took her to a vet to see if she had a chip. No chip. No way to find her humans.

The vet told them that, sadly, a lot of families were letting their dogs go because they couldn’t care for them anymore. Pets were one of the casualties of the pandemic. He told them she was a Border Collie/Lab mix, about a year old, and had been spayed. So instead of abandoning the girl, they brought her back with them.

Our friends already had a dog and offered to bring her by to see if we were a match for each other. The kids were cautiously excited.

They brought her to us on Sunday, January 24, 2021.

And before I could even take a proper look at her, our kids had already named her June 🐾. They still don’t have a good explanation as to how they agreed on her name, but the pure fact they agreed on something was a miracle in itself!

Two days later, Tuesday January 26, 2021, after taking the kids to the pet store to get her the basics, my husband  began having serious trouble with language and went to the ER. There, they discovered a mass in his brain.

Just writing this, my body is reliving the terror I felt—alone, in the house, with the kids, receiving the news over FaceTime.

Our baby girl June 🐾 has been with us through the most horrific days of our lives.

Every so often, I hold her beautiful face and ask her, “Who are you? What do you know that I don’t? How did we get so lucky to have you?”

She was a constant companion to my baby during those three years he fought so hard to live. A constant source of joy to our kids. A sponge for our anxiety and a source of comfort to all of us. June is the month of my husband’s birthday and Father’s Day. I know she came to us with a divine purpose.

I hadn’t had a dog since I was in my teens. This is so very different. So deep. So meaningful. So serendipitous.

Our June 🐾  is the sweetest, smartest, calmest, most fun girl—except when someone comes to the door and we are in the house. The way she barks, you’d think she’s a bulldog!

Since my husband died, she has become my faithful companion when I worked from home, when I lost my job, and as I try to rebirth my life and purpose.

She has given us so much grace during those times when we can’t get out of bed, don’t have the energy to walk her, forget to feed her, or let her vet checkups go way overdue.

I joke with our kids that she’s my favorite child: she doesn’t talk back, she’s super low-maintenance, and she doesn’t ask me for money. 🤣

I still don’t know much about dogs, but I do know that I love this girl so, so, so much. So much that when I think about her getting older, it scares me. It hurts to think about the day she’s not here anymore.

For now, we will continue to go on our hikes and long walks, to play in the park, or just chill, cry and love on each other.

Our dearest June 🐾: You will never know what you mean to our family. How much love, joy, healing and comfort you have given us. We love you so much!

Happy National Black 🐕‍🦺 Dog’s Day baby girl!