Hey everybody. This is interestingly on-topic and off topic at the same time: I know I threw an insanely large volume of stress and anxiety at you in the wee hours of yesterday morning, and I appreciate all of your love and support.

I'd been praying for almost a month that God would send me some relief or help me find the right path and I think those prayers were answered.

Yesterday my husband had to run to the bank between classes and I went with him. It took longer than we expected so he stopped at McDonalds so he could grab something to eat before class. While we were there, I saw a man sitting on the side of the building with a dog and he was talking to another man. I stopped to speak with both of them and it turns out they are both homeless.

My husband and I bought each of them a full meal, and gave the man with the dog an extra 10-piece nugget pack so he could feed his dog (not the healthiest I know, but we didn't have many options). We also gave each of the men $5 ($10 was all I had on hand at the time) so they could buy a warm meal later.

On our way home my husband was talking about philanthropy in general and how sometimes God puts people in the right place at the right time on purpose. He was sad the bank took longer than expected but if it hadn't we may not have been at McDonalds at the right time to help these two men.

As he's discussing this I realize traffic has stopped at the corner where we live. Directly in front of our house in the street was a tiny dog; there was a man chasing it trying to get it out of the road but it was so scared it was just zig-zagging the guy without leaving the road. I got out and the man said it wasn't his dog.

The dog had a collar on so I chased after the little thing, thinking I could help find its owner. It turns out the dog had a collar but no tags.

I contacted my local shelters and no one was missing a dog with his description. He's also not microchipped. I filled out a "found dog" report and am now sitting on my hands for 15 days. On the 15th day if no one has claimed him (and verified he is their dog) he becomes mine!

He's about six months old, is a chihuahua mix (teacup chihuahua I think, which means he's not going to grow much more), and I have taken to calling him A.J. He was very nervous when I first found him; he was shaking so hard when I reached out to touch him that he lost his ability to stand.

I took him to my vet to be checked out and it turns out he has been severely abused. He has several scars on his back and my vet said they are non-surgical in nature, are VERY deep, and were caused by being repeatedly stabbed by a knife or a pair of scissors. He is also missing a tiny wedge of ear that looks like it has been cut.

No one has come forward yet and when I posted his picture in my local lost/found animal Facebook group someone said they saw him a few blocks from my house on Saturday and they went around the block; they came back to get him but he was gone. Who doesn't realize they are missing a puppy for five days?! And who doesn't file a report on that?!!!

I don't know how to explain it but we connected IMMEDIATELY. I got him to finally perk up and he's like a mini-shadow. I think we have kindred souls as funny as it sounds -- my soul is like "I know where you are and I've been there 'bro" and his recognizes mine comes from a place of experience and understanding.

I made him a dog bed, bought him special food, got him some toys, and got him a sweater (which he seems to really love). Last night he slept in my bed between my husband and I. He burrowed under all the covers and ended up sleeping on my chest. It was so stinkin' adorable!

I am praying nobody comes forward but I suddenly feel much, MUCH less alone. We already had a dog and a cat but this one is... different. I don't know how to explain it. I imagine some of it is that the cat recognizes my husband as his human, and our dog (he's a big lab) recognizes my daughter as his human. This little guy I rescued definitely recognizes me as his human.

I think having someone/something in the house who has been through horror makes me feel less alone (as awful as that sounds). He's also a great distraction and a fabulous lap dog (our lab weighs over 100 pounds despite the fact he is lean which means he is HUGE!). I couldn't be happier.

If you could just cross your fingers for me though that I get to keep him that would be great! (Though if his owner does come forward the local animal control shelter isn't sure they'd give him back and they'd likely instead just press charges against the previous owners -- which they told me yesterday when I took him in for pictures). I also realized this morning one of the things I think had me feeling so down; I was not doing anything "bigger than myself." I view law school as bigger than myself because I want to work in SVU; I viewed my job before that as bigger than myself because I was a marketing/HR director which meant I helped spread word and provide jobs (it was a construction company) to people who otherwise wouldn't have any. Being off school I think I felt purposeless and taking care of this adorable little guy helps me feel bigger than myself, and keeps me resting (he likes to cuddle with me, but surprisingly no one else and when our landlord stopped by yesterday and saw him, the little dog was TERRIFIED so I think his abuser was likely male), which is good because I desperately need to sit down, be planted, and rest (I go stir crazy easy).

Long story short: fingers crossed I have a new puppy, no one claims him before he becomes ours, and our home has a new addition! :)