For Jack

He came in to my life with a wag of his tail.
His exhuberant bark lifting my spirits.
Together, we explored the neighborhood.
And one day at a time, I fell in love.
He had many people to walk him, but he was my only dog.

Jack, the little dog that I've been walking three times a week since I got here, was finally adopted today.  He'd been in the shelter nearly three months, and I knew this day would come.  In fact, I introduced him to the people who would become his new family while we were on a walk.  
 Now, while I can imagine the joy he will bring to these people, and they to him, I grieve this loss in my life.  The loss of my companion, the one thing I could count on in this city of strangers, of people coming and going, of my life without a schedule.  My time with Jack was filled with joy and it allowed me to feel a connection to this city immediately.  

I will always, always be grateful for this little, four legged bundle of joy that greeted me, kicked dirt up in to my shoes and pulled me along the streets as we walked and jogged and panted our way up and down, in and out and throughout the neighborhood.

If I'm lucky, I'll see him out with his family, happily tugging on the end of his red lead, in love with his people and they with him. I miss you Jack.