From Rescue ME: three dogs in the house were enough
http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/story/rescue-me143
Two years ago, my life was changing greatly. You cannot fight time. My oldest child was grown, married, and had children of her own. She and her husband had moved an hour away. I was used to having my granddaughters around a lot. My middle child, a daughter, was heading off to medical school. My youngest child, a son, was starting high school. Boys are notoriously more independent. I was feeling lonely, like my "mom" time was over, adrift. Being a mom had consumed my life for the last 30 years. I wasn't sure what my place in the world was . . .
I had wanted a small dog to call my own. My husband, son, and mother all have black labs that are rescues. While I love our labbies, I wanted a "baby" to call my own. My husband had resisted the idea of another dog. He felt three dogs in the house were enough.
This is when Gizmo found me. My sister, a doctor, called and said one of her nurses had rescued a Chihuahua/Dachshund mix. He was dumped in a parking lot close by to her office. The nurse said the Chiweenie was not getting along with her dogs and she needed to find a temporary foster home until a permanent home could be found. My sister knew my situation. She called to ask if I would foster this dog. I think God had a big hand in all of this. He knew I needed to "mother", and Gizmo needed a "mother."
FULL story at link.