Sachi Saba - our new baby in the family

A few days after the Los Angeles Earthquake last July 29th, while taking Besi & Birdie for their evening walk at the park, we happened to meet our neighbors, Jackie & David. They were walking this very cute white dog that looked like a Maltipoo (Maltese-Poodle) or a Lhatese (Lhasa Apso-Maltese).

David had apparently found him running in the streets of Hancock Park on his way back home to Playa del Rey. It was the day of the earthquake, and the little tyke must have been so frightened that he got away from his owners. Their plan was too put up posters around the neighborhood where he was found, ads in the newspaper and a lost & found posting in Craigslist. It was our hope that he and his owners be reunited as soon as possible.

By coincidence, I also knew that my niece, Czarina, was looking into adopting a dog. I told Jackie & David that if their search for the owners proved to be unsuccessful, to think of my niece. I kept in touch with the lovely couple. After a couple of weeks, no one, surprisingly, had responded to any of their notices. What was not surprising was that they had eventually fallen in love with the fluffy white dog. But because of their living situation and future plans, they knew that keeping him was not going to be in the best interest for him. After several exchanges, they asked for an assurance that Czarina would be a good parent to him. Czarina was partially raised by me, grew up with me and shares the same passion and love for animals like I do, so I confidently assured them that she would be and that she would have the support of family & friends. So they agreed to meet her to see if it would be a good match.

Czarina meets her potential dog for the very first time

Less than a week later, on my 39th birthday, Jackie & David made the painful decision to give up the doggie and turn him over to Czarina's care. Unfortunately, this happy day for us was, understandably, a very sad day for them, but at the same time they knew that they were doing the right thing. We will forever be connected to them through this fluffy white dog that Czarina has named, Sachi. Sachi means happiness in Japanese, pure in Sanskrit, and truth in Hindi. So Sachi is our truly pure happy dog!

"Where am I?"

"I like this house!"

with my new Mommy, Czarina

meeting my new GrandMa, Sari

with my Grand Uncle Sean ...
"... and I thought I was the cutest boy here."
"Don't rub me too much or else my red lipstick might come out."

Auntie Besi & Auntie Birdie,
excited that they have a new nephew

with Auntie Besi & Auntie Birdie

"Is this my new bed?"

"I'm tired."

"Sigh... I feel loved."