Oreo chose us just over two years ago. He chose us the way Koda chose us six years ago. Don’t get me wrong. Both times, we went looking for a dog, but I firmly believe that we did not make the final decision.

Corinne wanted a dog from the time she was about five. Out for a walk one afternoon, we encountered a man walking two Bichon Frisés, and it was all Corinne could talk about. I have a note hanging on my wall in the office on which she asked if I liked the way she cleaned the house with a P.S. asking if she could have a dog…and $5. When I stayed overnight in the city for work one evening, Dennis brought Corinne downtown to see me at dinner. Corinne regaled my co-worker Julie with stories of these dogs. Julie told me that evening, “You may not think you’re getting a dog, but you’re getting a dog.”

I grew up with dogs, so I understand the desire. As an adult, I had cats because they’re easier when you work long hours and live in an apartment. But then I met Dennis, who was deathly allergic to cats and dogs and birds. With the exception of fish, pets were definitely not a plan for our future.

Then Corinne came along…our over-achieving child who Dennis couldn’t say no to, except when it came to a dog. We talked to Dennis’s asthma and allergy doctor who said that even dogs who are considered hypoallergenic are not completely hypoallergenic. He was seriously allergic, so she didn’t think it was worth the risk. Corinne still begged us to try, and we explained to her that getting a dog and having to give it up would be 100 times harder than not having a dog to begin with.

But in 5th grade, Corinne received the President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence, and Dennis decided that his pride in her changed the risk he was willing to take. He said that through all her achievements, the only thing she had ever asked for that we didn’t give her was a dog. I mentioned the Bichon because a dog considered hypoallergenic would be the best alternative, but Dennis never wanted a “small, yappy dog.” He also didn’t want to wait to find a hypoallergenic dog. He was definitely an instant gratification kind of guy.

So while Corinne was at school one day, we went to Animal Welfare League to see what was available. Koda is an American Staffordshire Terrier that was about eight months old when we met her, and she got Dennis’s attention. She followed him from one side of the cage to the other as we walked up and down the aisles. She didn’t bark or jump like many of the other dogs, so we took her into one of the play rooms to see how he would do with her.

That evening, we went back to Animal Welfare and adopted her. Corinne couldn’t have been more excited. On the way home, we stopped by my mom and dad’s to introduce her, and my mom (in an obvious moment of foreshadowing) said, “If you can’t keep her, don’t take her back. Bring her over here.” Ten days later, after Dennis had secretly gone through an entire inhaler trying to keep his asthma symptoms at bay, we did exactly that.

Every few months, we would take Koda for a bath and then bring her over to see Dennis. He loved her just as much as we did. He had his own special language with her. After he died, we brought her over a couple of times and she went into the bedroom looking for him. She chose him. She was Corinne’s dog, but she chose Dennis.

She also chose my mom, who was afraid we would want to take her back after we lost Dennis. Koda slept with my mom. There was no way I was taking her away. After we lost Mom six months later, Koda took to sleeping right next to my dad. And she still goes looking for Dennis in the bedroom if she’s at our house.

Oreo, a Shih-Tzu/Toy Poodle mix (also know as a Shih-Poo), was a lot less of a process. After we lost Dennis, one of my friends mentioned that they had just gotten a puppy, and I thought that would be a great comfort for Corinne (and for me). I talked to my parents first because I didn’t want them to think we were abandoning Koda, and my always-wise mom said, “Get her something small that she can cuddle with.” That had been the plan.

He was the first puppy she spotted when we walked in, and even though she looked at every option, she kept going back to him. She said he watched her the whole time she was there, no matter where she moved in the store. I was on leave when we got Oreo, so he was with me pretty much 24/7. He sleeps in my room, but in the morning, he almost always scratches his way into Corinne’s room. He has even recently taken to sleeping in her room on occasion.

Almost a year ago, my brother-in-law Rodolfo brought home a Samoyed puppy that he named Stavroúla Kikyō Lævenzstraße. (Corinne and I call her Kikyō.) He picked her out, but I have no doubt she chose him. She sleeps in his room, but she almost always comes to me to be let out because I’m the one home during the day since I work from home. When Rodolfo comes home, Oreo regularly ditches me to spend time with him. In fact, there are many times that Kikyō will be in the office with me, and Oreo will be curled up on Rodolfo’s bed.

But make no mistake, Kikyō definitely chooses Rodolfo. Oreo originally chose Corinne and now chooses everyone.🤣 And when Rodolfo’s mom comes to visit, the rest of us are chopped liver because they choose her every time…until we shake the treat bag.😉

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Book Review

⭐⭐⭐
3 Stars for The Wedding Ranch by Nancy Naigle

345 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher’s Description

When Lorri Walker’s husband gifted her with a mastiff puppy on Valentine’s Day, she believed he was recommitting himself to their marriage after going astray. Six months later, he left both her and their dog for someone else. Since her recent move to Dalton Mill to unbraid herself from the past, Lorri’s graphic design business is now flourishing, her growing mastiff, Mister, has plenty of space to romp, and her ex in Raleigh can fade to a distant memory.

Ryder Bolt is haunted by the tragic loss of his wife and young son seven years ago. Thankfully, ranching keeps Ryder busy, and spending time with his niece and nephew—whose venue, The Wedding Ranch, has become a popular tourist destination—keeps him from getting lonely.

When Lorri and Ryder met, love was the last thing they were looking for. When they’re together, smiles come easier and burdens feel lighter, and both are embracing the possibility of something deeper.

But when a long-buried revelation surfaces, the fate that brought them together threatens to tear them apart.

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• Lorri Walker – graphic designer whose husband of 15 years buys her a Mastiff puppy for Valentine’s Day and leaves her six months later for the dog trainer. She moves from Raleigh to Dalton Mill for a fresh start.
• Mister – the Mastiff, well-trained and draws attention everywhere because of his size alone; Lorri keeps Mister in the divorce from her husband.
• Ryder Bolt – rancher, largest landowner in the county even after his parents sold off much of their land for development; investor in his niece and nephew’s venue The Wedding Ranch.

Nancy Naigle’s The Wedding Ranch is a sweet small-town, Christian, second-chance romance. Neither Lorri nor Ryder have an interest in dating someone new. A year removed from her split with her husband, Lorri has settled into her new home and is flourishing as a work-from-home graphic designer. Ryder can’t imagine meeting anyone he could love more than he loved his wife and son, killed seven years prior in a car accident. Readers all know they’re going to get together.

When Lorri and Ryder meet, they both feel the chemistry but insist friends only. In fact, throughout the book, Ryder insists on saying “my friend, Lorri.” But as their friendship builds, neither of them can ignore the attraction. Mister creates a nice connection since Ryder’s sister is the town veterinarian, and Mister’s size makes him a topic of conversation.

There are also a couple of sub-plots here. Lorri and her friend Pam are childhood best friends with a country music star who happens to have booked his wedding at The Wedding Ranch that Ryder’s niece and nephew run. Lorri’s ex also plans to have his wedding at the Ranch. The first creates a bit of tension and the second creates an opportunity for the pair, but I felt like both were unnecessary.

The real sub-plot the author should have focused on is the “long-buried revelation” in the description. I won’t give it away, although I think it’s designed for us to figure out long before the characters do, but the author seems to miss the opportunity to really make this the focal conflict in the story. It comes to light with only about 15% of the book left, which leaves very little time to actually work through the issue. The characters pray about it, talk with their families, and then it’s just resolved. That’s one of the things that drops the rating.

The other thing that knocks it to 3 stars for me is that I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters. They describe the chemistry, but the dialog falls flat for me. In fact, my favorite dialog occurs between Ryder and his sister.

All in all, this book isn’t bad. It’s a nice, light read…just a little dry at times in my opinion.

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