One year ago this month, we adopted two little dogs. Believed to be a mix of beagle and dachshund, our girls are sisters who were given up by their previous owners for economic reasons. At least that was the story we got from the girls’ foster mom, a volunteer with an animal rescue organization in New Jersey. She assured us they don’t bark, they’re house broken and they won’t be any trouble at all.
Except for the “they don’t bark” part, the foster mom was right. Oh and the girls have had a couple of bathroom accidents in the house but nothing I can’t handle. Oh and there was the antique chair that one or both of them chewed up. My husband, Tom, spent $100 to get the chair repaired. Guess what? They chewed up the arm again. After the second episode, we put the chair away.
Though they are not perfect, the girls have brought joy into our lives. Maggie, the bigger of the two dogs, and Phoebe, smaller with more of a dachchund-like body, are sweet, loving dogs who enjoy running around the park, lunging at squirrels, wrestling with one another and snuggling up with their humans. These dogs give me unconditional love, which is more than I can say for any of the humans I know. It’s a pleasure to come home and get the rock star treatment from Maggie and Phoebe, who bark like crazy and compete for my attention by jumping all over me.
I used to think dogs given up by their owners were problems. Dogs in shelters? I stayed away. I thought those dogs were bad news. Having had a golden retriever for close to 17 years, I was also partial to big purebreds.
Now I know wonderful dogs come in all sizes and shelters have many great pets just waiting to be adopted. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on a purebred. Adopting Maggie and Phoebe opened my eyes to the joys of pet adoption.
If you are thinking of getting a pet, check out Petfinder to see the lovely critters waiting to be adopted in your area.