I was getting ready to go back up to the ranch the very next Sunday even though I hadn't heard anything. Just as I was about to leave, I got a call asking me if I would like to come up and pick up my dog Sapphire. I was so excited, I can't even remember what I said but I know I babbled. I had gotten dog food, a bed, leashes, etc. when I first started the quest so I just gathered up all of it, with a bag of treats, and took off.
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She was just as small as I remembered her. She had been spayed that week but seemed really perky and glad to see everyone. As time neared for us to leave, she got kind of quiet and mopey. I don't know if she had just had a big day and was still a little off after being spayed, or if she knew something was up and was dreading the change. When we went to leave, she went with me quite willingly. But when we got to the car, I had to lift her in. She seemed small but she was heavy! I realized as soon as we got in the car that it would be uncomfortable for her. I forgot a blanket or something. But she laid down right away. When we got home, she was really looking worried. The stairs were a challenge. She had never seen stairs like these. There were stairs at the ranch, but only 4 so I think she had managed to avoid them by leaping them all |
I had put the cat in a room with the door closed so we would tackle one new thing at a time. Sapphire trotted around smelling everything. She looked nervous but I just let her explore and when she came up to me for reassurance I cooed to her and pet her and that seemed to give her the courage to look some more. She discovered the couch right away. I had covered it with a piece of fleece so it would be warm and snuggly for her.
As the evening wore on, she looked more anxious, not less. And she kept going to the door and looking at me as if to say, "it has been lovely, but I'm ready to go home now."