I knocked gently on the motel room door.  "C'mon in", a voice called out.  I turned the door handle and slipped inside. Two heads swung around at my entrance, and two pairs of eyes surveyed me intently.  Tails wagged furiously and they scrambled over to say Hello.  Suddenly, a third head popped up from behind the side of the far bed.  These eyes were framed by the cutest tan eyebrows and were laughing at me.  A silly grin from a silly puppy.  I KNEW who this was.  She knew me and I knew her.  The look she gave me was "There you are!  I've been waiting for you!"  It was pure magic.

And then Dot was in my lap pushing her brothers out of the way.  I was hers.  She knew that.

I had travelled 13 hours from my home in Canada to pick up Dot from her breeder.  We had arranged to meet at a dog show in Illinois.   I was going to the show with some friends and so could bring the puppy back with me.  Neither Barbara, Dot's breeder, nor I had wanted to ship a puppy, so this cold February found me miles away from home in a motel room with three gorgeous five-month old German Shepherd Dog pups clamouring for my attention.  Well, two were.  Dot took matters into her own paws.  She wiggled through the smallest of gaps between her brothers and  pushed her way into my lap and then suddenly she was there and the boys were behind her.  Just the way Dot likes things.  Her way.  And I couldn't tear my eyes away from hers.

I vaguely heard Barbara ask me if I knew who that was.  I do remember answering - "Of course, it's Dot.  I told you I would know her".  But how could I possibly have known that Dot would know me too?  Yet she did.  From that moment on, no one else existed for her.  She was not taking her eyes off of me.  Just in case she lost me somewhere.  Dot knew what she had to do.

It was one of those moments that stay unchanged no matter how many times you drag it out and look at it.  A moment frozen in time.  When Dot met Jane.  Barbara, watching the whole meeting from across the motel room, was also caught up in the magic.  She told me afterward that she had never seen Dot EVER look at someone like that before.  Dot was my puppy. . . and my puppy was gorgeous.  I was floating on cloud nine.

I didn't sleep much that night.  That was okay.  I didn't mind at all.  The next morning Barbara asked me if I wanted to take Dot over to the dog show.  She was going to take the boys to walk them around; thought maybe I would like to do the same with Dot.  This sounded like a great idea to me, so I said "Just give me a minute to get ready".  It took a little longer than a minute.  I showered, dressed, put on some makeup and opened the bathroom door to find - Dot!  Sitting right outside the door.  She looked at me and wagged her tail and twirled around for pure joy at seeing me again.

But where was Barbara?  And the two other pups?  I figured she must have gotten tired of waiting for me.  No matter.  Dot was there to keep me company!  Dot and I headed off to go watch the dog show.  Dot was soooo happy to be showing me around.  I caught up with Barbara later.  She filled me in on What Dot Did While I Was Getting Ready!  Dot WAITED.  The bouncy, wiggly, five month old puppy sat in a perfect sit outside the bathroom door . . . and she waited.  She sat facing that door and never took her eyes off of it but one time only.

Barbara told me that she had finally become tired of waiting for me.  So she put some collars and leashes on the two boys and still Dot wouldn't leave the door.  Barbara opened the motel room door.  Dot still didn't move.  Barbara called her.  Dot slowly turned her head and looked at Barbara - a long, intent look.  One that said, I can't leave Jane here all by herself.  Dot turned her head back and continued to face the door.  Barbara told me that there was no way that puppy was going anywhere without me, so she left her behind, and went ahead over to the dog show

And so Dot came into my life . . . and it was changed forever.