“Is this weird?”
Our eyes met and we burst out laughing.
The windshield wipers squeaked in response, as if to drive home the point that this was, indeed, very weird.
It was Easter Sunday. My husband, Eric, and I had been in the backseat of an Uber for the past 45 minutes. Our suitcases were in the trunk, and our carry-on bags were wedged between us. We’d been visiting family in Olympia for five rainy days and were heading to a Seattle airport hotel so we could fly out the next morning.
But first, we were making an important pitstop. To meet Fern. The biological sister of our dog, Lunabelle.
We adopted Lunabelle two years ago when she was 4 ½ months old. She had impossibly big ears, earnest eyes, and a zigzag on her tail. Lunabelle was surrendered to a Texas kill shelter when she was only three months old. New Jersey Misfits Canine Rescue, a non-profit in Frenchtown, NJ, stepped in to rescue her and transport her across country.
When we got the call from the rescue that we had been selected as Lunabelle’s new humans, they said they’d be dropping her off at our house in a few hours. Eric and I made a frantic dash to Petco to buy a bed, lots of toys, and kibble for our new puppy. When we got to the checkout lane, I impulsively added an Embark Vet DNA Test to the basket.
A month after we received the DNA results (Malinois—Dutch Shepherd—German Shepherd—American Pit Bull Terrier), Embark notified us that another dog, named Fern, just appeared in the system and was Lunabelle’s sibling. I immediately sent off a message to Fern’s owner, Christy, through Embark’s chat feature. We quickly moved to Facebook messaging so we could watch our little girls grow up on each other’s pages. And after that, we switched to texting, and soon thereafter to USPS with cards and care packages sent between the two sisters.
Fern had a stormier start in life than Lunabelle. Fern was malnourished and starving when she was rescued by 4LeggedFriends in Lubbock, Texas, and ended up being rehomed with Christy and her family outside of Seattle through Project Freedom Ride, a service that connects abandoned dogs from Texas with families in the Pacific Northwest. Fern’s pre-adoption puppy photos just about rip your heart in two because she was basically a walking ribcage.
But now, Lunabelle and Fern are the spitting image of one another, right down to that puppy zigzag tail. They have the same sweet, loveable personalities (except when it’s time to trim nails, in which case they are both melodramatic psychopaths), each have food sensitivities, and they even have similar personality traits like playfully snapping their teeth when they want something.
When Lunabelle received a Christmas care package from Fern, I took the time to tell her all about her sister. I promised her if we ever have the chance, she and her sister will be reunited. Watching them run and leap together with their athletic Malinois grace will be a dream come true. The problem is that we live on opposite coasts. It’s not like we can hop in the car and drive for a few hours to visit, and we aren’t about to stuff Lunabelle in an airplane’s cargo hold. So, for now, we’d have to settle for meeting Fern ourselves.
The interesting thing is that Christy and I have so much more in common than just being dog moms to two long lost sisters. I’ve felt a kindred spirit connection from the very beginning. Would that translate to meeting in person? I was as eager to meet Christy as I was to meet Fern.
♥♥♥
“Hey folks, looks like we’ve arrived. Good luck,” announced the Uber driver. He was laughing. Because, well, why not? This was insane. We were crashing the Easter Sunday gathering of a stranger’s family.
We hauled our suitcases up to the front door as the Uber drove away. I looked at Eric as I pressed the doorbell. “I sure hope this is the right house.”
He smirked as he considered all the luggage at our feet. “We look like we are moving in.”
Christy opened the door. Behind her in the foyer stood her husband, her two sons, and her parents. And right there, weaving between their bodies to get up front as fast as possible, was Fern. Fern! Lunabelle’s sister! Eric’s and my “niece.”
All advice from the experts on how to properly greet a dog promptly went out the window. I didn’t hold my hand out for Fern to sniff. I didn’t speak calmly and softly. Nope. Instead, with a squeal, I dropped to my knees and immediately went for a hug. Fern was a willing participant, greeting us like we were long lost family. Which made perfect sense, given we are her aunt and uncle. It goes without saying that if you are as committed and obsessed with your dogs as all of us standing in Christy’s foyer were, the aunt/uncle/niece labels are perfectly normal.
After the initial love fest with Fern, we moved to the living room. It wasn’t awkward. We laughed, shared stories, and got to know one another. We gave Fern a bag of Easter gifts from Lunabelle, and Christy gave us some gifts that Fern picked out for Lunabelle. And then we moved to the dining room. Christy and her mom had made Pacific Northwest delicacies— huckleberry pies (including a GF one for me) and mixed berry pies. While Eric ate seconds, Christy and I ended up back on the living room floor with Fern.
Before we left, the group of us posed for a “family photo” with Fern. At a glance, it may as well be Lunabelle in that picture. After heartfelt goodbyes to Fern and her family, Christy drove Eric and me to our hotel. I know this is a friendship that will last. And I hope that one day the stars align, and we will figure out a way for the two sisters to finally be reunited. I’m convinced they will remember each other because, for those of us lucky enough to have sisters in our lives, we know that a sister’s love is something you never forget.
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