Sometimes things just happen in such a way that you know they are meant to be.
Last week, Sam was scheduled to go to the vet. About an hour before his appointment, I got a call asking if I could bring him in early as they had a few cancellations. So I bundled Sam into the car and took off. As I reached the end of my street, about 1/10 of a mile away, I saw a small dog wandering in the open lot. I've never seen loose dogs in this neighborhood and I worried about this even as I went on. I didn't go far. After another 10th of a mile I turned around, got out of the car, called out to the dog and she came right up to me, practically begging to be picked up. She had a collar and no tags so I took her to the vet with me to see if she had been chipped -- she hadn't.
I think she had adopted me before we even got to the vet's office. I reported her to the animal shelter. Her photo was posted on facebook and other places and we waited. Although it is obvious she was once loved and well cared for, it is also obvious that she has had a tough time recently. Her fur was baly matted and some of it had to be shaved. Some of her teeth are broken. She had obviously been outside for a while. But she is good natured and well-behaved. No one claimed her and she has found a new home. Yesterday she went to the vet to get her shots, since we have no records, and get cleaned up.
Sam and Moises still aren't sure what they think, but all four of us managed to share space on the same sofa for about 3 minutes last night. It is a hopeful sign.