Saturday morning, 5 AM, I meet Tim at a dark Cracker Barrel with our precious cargo --

-- headed easterly for a noon-time appointment in suburban Boston -- !!

-- and before we know it, we're at a little celebration for Tiff's blues and Molly's babies --

-- plus, Piper came along, too!

Neither Molly nor Tiff came along this time, due to Piper's urgency in transport, and also due to a cramped Civic -- !!

-- and Mr. Piper, well, he could potentially luck out from this whole situation --

-- his interested parents drove all the way from Rochester NY to see the babies, but when they saw Piper, they said, "THAT'S what we're looking for --"

-- LOVE IT!!

So, after a little snip-snip and a home visit, Piper could be smooth sailing -- !!

The great thing about these meet-ups is that you're seeing the interested adopters in person, having real conversations, and not going merely through emails --

-- plus, we're all sharing something we're passionate about, and that makes for a perfect day -- !!

Here, Akira's potential mom is a vet tech in CT, and the couple couldn't say enough about how happy they were to meet this little lady -- !!

Next, Mac meets his interested momma, a real estate attorney in Islip, LI --

-- and Piper says, "Um... smells like sour milk" -- !!

Little Hector gets a nail clipping from Jill and all is well --

-- as long as the quicks are plenty avoided -- !!

First nail clips are like first toys and first steps -- worth photographing -- !!

Next, the blues show they're not all about being prim and proper --

-- and the dragon noises ensue -- :D

Here is Chaz --

-- oh Chaz, who was your daddy?

We heard rumblings of a Burmese Mountain Dog even, so where you're from is still a mystery, but that doesn't matter none -- you're a great boy!

This visit was in one of the suburbs, not burroughs of Boston, so there is no BSL here --

-- BUT, we were happy to see many of the propects were from areas FAR AWAY from BSL laws, too -- !!

And here was my favorite --

-- Shannon's nephew, who came directly from the Boston College pep meet --

-- he told me that when he gets older, he wants to commit his life to rescuing animals --

-- I asked him if he wanted to be a veterinarian, and he said, "No, I want to be like you -- I want to rescue dogs" --

-- well, how sweet!

And he also said he wants to go to school for computer science, and to do rescue more on a moon-lighting basis --

-- so, he's smart about it and has his heart in the right place --

-- GREAT WORK, SHANNON!

Another shot of Mac and his interested momma --

-- needless to say, she didn't let him stray too much during the day -- !!

And little Nory, now Poppa Louie, who was adopted by Kath and Heather --

-- I am sorry for the blinking pic of you, Kath -- but little Louie looks LOVELY --

-- and if he's only 12 weeks, like they're saying, you best build a barn to house him when he grows up -- !!

So, as things begin to settle down, we get mug shots of the babies --

-- and what little mugs they have --

-- Piper is so handsome, too --

-- he has been abused, that is for sure, but shows signs that he can learn to trust and to love again --

-- PHEW!

And dear Truman, who finds his refuge behind a trusted visitor --

-- just DON'T back up -- mr. truman is QUITE CRABBY when awoken from his slumbers -- !!

Boom --

-- another one out -- !!

And things begin to wind down --

-- and our drive back home begins shortly thereafter, with me arriving home at 3 AM, 22 hours after our departure, and Tim at 5 AM -- 25 hours after he left the house --

-- but, it's all worth it -- these steps to help these babies along --

-- next, the applications and visits will be reviewed per pup, and home visits will be done, as well as surgeries for the babies --

-- and with all this back and forth and efforts, it will prove worthy --

-- for then, when these babies are 10 months, 2 years, or 10 years old, I'll be happy and proud to get update emails from their parents, saying how great of additions these loves are to their lives -- and how thankful they are for them --

-- and then, and up till then, all these efforts will prove themselves worthy -- !!

THANK YOU for looking, and THANK YOU to everyone who made the day possible!!