Today, my middle daughter and I did some volunteer work for a local animal rescue group. They received a transport of about 15 dogs up from Mississippi. The dogs–about half of them puppies–were scheduled to be euthanized, so the group had them brought up here to be fostered/adopted.
When they arrive, the dogs need to be cleaned up, walked, fed, and socialized a bit before being turned over to their new families, so that’s what Amy and I did. It was a long day, but very rewarding.
We loved all of the doggies, but one in particular really captured our hearts. His name was “Happy,” and he was very aptly named. You would think a 25-hour ride in a tiny crate in the back of a tractor trailer truck would make the poor thing skittish and scared. Nope. Happy had a wonderful disposition, boundless energy, and already seemed quite well trained. He’s going to make a wonderful addition to his new family.
We don’t have a dog at the moment, but we have plenty of other pets: two cats, a hamster, and 4 fish tanks filled with tropical fish. I haven’t had a dog since my sweet mutt, Columbo, died at the age of 17 years old back in 1988. Seeing those dogs today did give me that familiar dog-lover pang, but I’m not sure I’m ready to let another furry little baby into our lives just yet. The ones we have keep me plenty busy!
If you’re thinking of getting a family pet, I encourage you to visit WWW.PETFINDER.COM, to view a list of adoptable pets available in your area.
***UPDATE***
Well, Kristen’s comment below was absolutely correct. Happy was returned by his adoptive family about a week later, and we adopted him immediately. His name is now “Scooter” and we adore him!
I think Happy wants to adopt your family and that there’s a reason he captured you thusly. 🙂
You know, if his adoptive family didn’t show up, we would have taken him in a heartbeat. However, they DID show up, and I’m told it was “love at first sight” all around.
I am a big believer in that concept of “the dog finding you.” I’m sure our furry baby is out there somewhere, and when the timing is right, we’ll connect.