A client of mine has had an enormous amount of grief to deal with in the last five years. She lost one of her beloved dogs, then she lost her husband, then she lost another one of her beloved dogs. Her remaining dog was like her lifeline. He was the thing that kept her going, her reason for getting up in the morning. So, this summer when she lost him, her final dog, she was consumed with grief.

The emails she sent me and phone conversations we had in the weeks that followed made my heart heavy. She spoke of her deep despair, and her fear that she had nothing left to live for. She worried that she would be consumed by the grief she was experiencing. She was unable to stop crying, unable to eat or sleep or even get herself in the shower. I kept encouraging her to give it time, to just feel what she was feeling and give herself the space to honor and process all the things she was feeling. I honored her feelings and did my best to just be there for her, so she knew she wasn't alone.

In one conversation we had, she asked me how I managed to still function without Lucky and I told her of the dream I had after Lucky died. In the dream, she told me she was going to come back to me as a german shepherd named Chance. I explained that it gave me something to look forward to, knowing my life would one day be filled with the love of a special companion again. It didn't immediately make her feel better, but it gave her something to think about.

Several weeks after that particular conversation, I got an email from her telling me of the exciting events that had been unfolding in her life. She ran into a gal she hadn't seen in years, who encouraged her to check out a rottweiler rescue site she knew about. She felt compelled to check out the website, even though she wasn't sure she was ready for another dog and when she got on the site, there was a rottweiler on the front page named Chance. She took it a sign and immediately filled out an adoption application.

The next weekend, her friend drove with her to the woman's house that had the rescue dogs and much to her surprise, she and Chance didn't connect at all . . . but there was another dog there, a dog named Chuck and it was love at first sight. The rescue gal knew immediately that they were a perfect fit. Chuck couldn't take his eyes off my client as they walked around the yard in perfect harmony. She said she felt a major connection to him.

You could feel the excitement bubbling out of her email . . . the words sprang off the page as she wrote about the contentment she felt as she drove home with him in her car . . . how she knew they belonged together and how much joy she felt in her heart. She felt she had a purpose again, a reason to be happy to wake up each morning. She sensed that Chuck was exactly what she needed in her life.

Since then, I have received many heart warming emails from her, keeping me up to date on the adventures she and Chuck have been having. It is so wonderful to see her happy again, to feel her joy. While she still feels the loss of her husband and three dogs, she has embraced this new chapter in her life and is enjoying it as it unfolds.

It has reminded me of the fact that for each of us, there is a 'right' time to get another animal after we have lost one. For some of us, we may need to wait months or years before we are 'ready' again and for others, the 'right' time is much sooner. No one can tell you what is right, you just need to follow your own heart and trust your own instincts. I do believe we are guided to the 'right next step' on our paths . . . we just need to stay opened and pay attention.