A Profound Magic

Ice and her person
There are days when I am powerfully reminded that science has so many limits that we are unable to explain things that happen, can be plainly seen, yet defy neat explanations. Love has a lot to do with it, at times. And maybe the splendid mysteries of quantum entanglement are at work.
Either way, here’s what happens when one of our puppies meets their person: there is a connection that forms so fast it defies explanation.
Yesterday, when Ice’s person arrived, she stood watching from the deck, tail wagging, and then she flew down the ramp, around the corner and galloped straight into Jen’s arms. Easy enough to explain that away by saying she’s a social puppy who enjoys meeting people.
But here’s the kicker: we took one walk through the woods to the creek and back. John and I have raised this puppy from birth. I have slept beside her for 11 weeks. For the last 2.5 weeks, she’s been the only puppy, and I’ve been her primary person, caretaker, trainer, bedmate. And yet, with Jen and her daughter Maddie in the picture, John and I became something that Ice kept an eye on, but it was her new people that had her attention.
By time we walked back, no one watching would have thought that John and I had been her longest relationships. They would watch the puppy and where she put her attention and who she followed — and it was very clear that her connection now wasn’t with us.
This is not about leashes – none involved. It’s not about toys or treats – none involved other than the baby Kong that Ice so proudly carried, or the random sticks thrown to let her work on some air scenting. It is, simply put, magic of the most profound kind, something powerful and true and life changing.
I know I’ve done right by the puppy when they trot off with their new person, headed into their new life without much more than a glance back. It is what we want to see. But it tears my heart a bit each time. Small price to pay for the joy each pup brings into the world.
Bon voyage, Ice and Jen. As with every other puppy we raise, it is an honor and a privilege to be your first way station in life, and the way by which you get where you need to be. So many adventures await you and your siblings!