Elle was an immeasurable gift. Our story starts at the end of her life. I only wish I could have known her longer.

I was looking for a young female Doberman companion for Chloe, my middle-aged Dobie, in preparation for when Tezi, my senior cattle dog, passed. I knew Tezi’s time was coming.

The Doberman rescue I spoke with didn’t have any young females. Although I didn’t want a male, I went to look anyway.

The universe has a way of guiding us to our destiny if we are open to the quiet whisperings of its voice.

Tezi and Chloe were both in the meet and greet yard to help choose. One by one, we were introduced to the younger boys. My girls were nonchalant; we were waiting for that special spark that happens when it is right. The owner of the rescue, an older woman, was astute in reading the dogs’ body language and my own.

After the last boy was walked out, she returned with an older, emaciated, silver muzzled, tumor-ridden female. Her words were, “I know she is not what you were looking for, but I think she will fit the energy of your girls perfectly.”

Elle had only arrived at the rescue a few days prior. Discovered in a home that had been foreclosed, she was a sack of bones. No one knew how long she had been without food or care.

My girls sniffed her and gave her the space to understand that they were not a threat.

Then she quietly walked over to me. Her protruding bones cautioned me to use the softest touch as she leaned into me. It was at that moment I knew she was coming home with us.

Initially, she was stoic, quiet, and stayed out of the way, not wanting to rock the boat. Although she enjoyed being pet, she didn’t show much affection to either myself or the girls. It would be several days before she made eye contact.

She was always happy to receive a nibble, a soft bed, or a cuddle when offered; she never asked for more than she received. At first, she was so weak, her hips trembled and gave way when she tried to walk too far.  At these times, I would gently hoist her up; I saw an appreciation in her eyes behind the embarrassment of her vulnerability. With time, she gained her strength and was soon running on the trails, happier than I could have once imagined.

We consciously or unconsciously attract to us the lessons we need to learn. Mine often arrive as animals.

When Elle entered my life, my sole intentions were to make her life comfortable, showering her with love and affection, and tending to her wounds. The external ones could be remedied more easily than the deeper scars she hid behind her soulful eyes.

Just 5  months after Elle became family, my sweet girl Chloe unexpectedly passed of a heart attack in my arms. It came as a tremendous shock, always expecting Tezi, my senior girl, to pass first.

Elle instinctively stepped up to fill the vacant guardian position, and with that, she also allowed herself to show me affection. It was as if she needed to be trusted in order for her to trust. She curled up on the bed watching over me as I slept just as Chloe had done. As the days passed, she would curl closer and closer until she was aligned with my own body. It was here that our connection was solidified.

My heart was broken again two months later when my dear Tezi followed Chloe over the rainbow bridge.

At the time Elle entered my life, I was in a period of personal self-discovery. Change happens when we can no longer tolerate the status quo. And my life was evidence that I no longer was tolerant of what I once was.

I thought Elle had come into my life because she needed healing, and in truth, we were brought together to heal each other. Side by side, we navigated our past lives and found comfort in the new lives we had stepped into. We let go of old behaviors and stepped into a world of possibilities.

The transformation love has on a soul was illustrated with Elle’s willingness to allow it in. The deeper my love reached within her, the deeper within myself it grew too.

After Chloe had departed, a Doberman puppy found her way to me. I named her Joie de Vivre. And Joy of Life she is. Elle, again, stepped up to shoulder another mantel, teaching Joie all that she had become. She was no longer shy to exhibit the affection she once was reticent to show.

Just shy of 2 years from the fateful day we met, Elle passed in my arms surrounded by love. When her soul left her body, I felt as she hovered over me, showering me with an abundance of love so deep and so warm, I still tear up thinking of it.

After she was buried next to Chloe and Tezi, I came upon Joie on my bed… She had found Elle’s collar…

The Universe works in mysterious ways. Meeting Elle was the alchemy needed for a deep inner transformation my soul was searching for. My gratitude to her is beyond words.

 We all miss this wise soul who answered by the name of Elle.