Serendipity
by Syd Sullins
Serendipity....I love when things unexpectedly fall into place and the outcome is a happy one. Here is a story of serendipity at its finest.
Last July, my husband, Matt, was flying back to Guadalajara. He had an early flight out of Dallas...which ended up not being so early after all. Twice the plane was swapped out due to mechanical issues. Three times they changed gates. In all, it was a six hour delay.
Matt saw Ruth Baker and her husband in the waiting area. Ruth is the former owner of Sweets and Treats and Matt is a big fan of her work. They started chatting and then another couple joined in - they were on their way to Lakeside for their first visit. Matt had plenty of time to chat about his experiences in Mexico and he also talked about me and the work I do at The Ranch. Eventually, the plane left Dallas and the little group went their separate ways.
Now four months later, we take in a little, skinny, matted mess of a dog we named Sage. We had found him abandoned near The Ranch. We took Sage in for a grooming and he looked amazing and I posted his post-grooming glamour shot on The Ranch Facebook page.
Almost immediately, I was contacted by a woman named Monica who knew this dog was for her. The problem was she was currently in Dallas and wasn't coming back to Ajijic until February. Could we help her get the dog to her?
As it turns out, Carolyn had a friend flying to Dallas in a few days. Direct adoptions to the US make us nervous as there is no safety net should the adoption fail. I called Monica to chat with her and get a sense of her level of commitment. I was immediately reassured - she had experience with rescue dogs and was more than willing to deal with any issues they might have settling in. Then she said, "I have met your husband" and she started telling me the story of meeting Matt in the Dallas airport during that long delay and how he had spoken of the The Ranch and the work we do. She had started to follow us on Facebook and this led to her finding "the dog" she was looking for.
Sage, now known as Chico, is settling in well at his new home and we look forward to seeing him again when he returns to Lakeside in February. And special thanks to our informal Ranch Ambassador Matt Sullins for spreading the word about The Ranch!