This trip was especially fruitful as we increased our family size by one.
This is Buddy. Let me tell you how he came to be a Bertelsen.
Kirk and I left on a Friday afternoon with the plan to drive as far as we possibly could, get a hotel room and then start out early the next morning as we were picking Claire and Vivian up at the El Paso Airport the next afternoon. We didn't make a lot of stops, time was of the essence and only 'emergency' stops would qualify for time off of the road.
All that driving and sitting and sitting and sitting some more can make your back feel pretty rough and that is exactly what it did to Kirk. We got to our hotel and Kirk said, "Let's make sure we stop at Walmart and pick up some Ibuprofen in the morning." That was the plan and it should have worked out just fine as Walmart was literally across the highway from our hotel. We woke up the next morning, packed the car, had breakfast and off we went. No stop at Walmart.
We were enjoying the road trip but dreading Albuquerque. We drive through that city every trip down and have deemed it the worst place on earth. Now, this is just our opinion, I am sure there are beautiful people, places and things there, they just must be hidden, deep, very deep. Anyhow, the GPS routed us around Albuquerque on a side road that led to Los Lunas. Both Kirk and I were questioning the GPS but Kirk got out the trusty atlas and found that it was actually a shorter route that saved us from having to experience the city of 'deep beauty'. By this time, Kirk's back was definitely needing some help so he typed some info into the GPS to find the next closest Walmart. It was just ahead in Los Lunas.
Los Lunas, New Mexico is a sandy little city that has some serious wind issues. Not a lot of trees in Los Lunas. Not very much greenery at all, but lots of sand. And wind. You really should go visit someday :). We found Walmart with the greatest of ease (thank you GPS) and as we pulled into the parking lot I spotted an amazing dog in a kennel near the front of the store. It was the Los Lunas Animal Shelter Adoption Day and there were several people around holding different animals and arranging adoptions with the powers that be. No one was even interested in the dog I had seen from the outskirts of the parking lot. I inquired about the dog and was told that he had been in the shelter for about 2 weeks, his family moved and could not take him with them and he was about 8 months old. They also said he is a mix between a German Sheppard and a Red Heeler. I asked if I could hold him and they removed him from his kennel and handed his leash to me. I was already hooked. Sweetness and gentleness were the first characteristics I found in him. I immediately thought about Dani and how she has talked about getting another dog that would be a companion for Hank (my granddog). Kirk quickly called her and talked with her about it. She wanted to talk with Steven before making a decision. We gave the dog back and went in to pick up the supplies we needed.
Dani called back and said she was a little worried about the dog getting along with Hank and said maybe she shouldn't get it right now. Kirk and I talked a bit about just keeping it ourselves, but who in their right mind would take a new dog on a road trip, stay for a week and then take another 2 day road trip back to it's 'home'? Not to mention the four beagles at Uncle Roger's. We spoke with the shelter employees and asked if anyone could foster the dog and we would pick it up the following week on our way back to Utah. No one was really interested in that so Kirk and I decided that if this dog was still there next week we would adopt him. It would be destiny.
We got back in the car and headed toward El Paso. The ride was very quiet. both of us pondering the situation. After 17 miles I looked at Kirk and said, "I think we should turn back and get him, I can see him in our backyard." Kirk did not even blink, he just said "Okay."
About 3 miles away from Los Lunas I called the man who was in charge of the adoption day. He had given me his card so I could call him as we were traveling through the next week. He answered and I asked, "Is this James?" He said, "No, James is not available right now." I was certain this was the same guy I had just spoken with so I said, "Yes it is! I just spoke with you about a dog, I am from Utah." He quickly apologized and told me he thought I was his ex-wife.....seriously! He confirmed that the dog was still there and would hold it for our return.
It was meant to be. This dog was destined to be a part of my family. He is absolutely amazing, brilliant, gentle and loving. He has every quality I would search for in a pet and more. I am hopeful that he will become a therapy dog for the residents at Parkway and be able to bring more joy and love into their lives as he has done for us.
As for the title of this post: GPS vs. GPM? GPS stands for Global Positioning Satellite. I have renamed ours GPM...Global Positioning Magic. Surely it was magic that led us to Buddy!
