Many of you know (and may be sick of hearing) about my passion for rescuing animals. As long as I can remember, I have had this inner ache for all creatures, specifically dogs. When I was about 10 or so, my parents decided it was time to add to our family. We took a visit to the local SPCA and found a well tempered dog, named Kita. She was hours away from being euthanized. Just to think that this dog, who fetched the newspaper for my mother every morning, would of been killed because her time at the pound was overdue. We never had a discussion about rescuing dogs, it was just something that we did. This simple trip to the local SPCA turned out to be a valuable lesson to me, which I am sure my parents didn't realize at the time.
As soon as my husband and I lived in a home that was dog-friendly, we were dedicated to adoption. We visited the local humane society every Saturday morning in search of our next family member. Today, 6 years ago, we came home with a lab mix that we named Maisey. She was 1.5 years, abused and very timid. Since then, she has been the joy of our lives.
Maisey, of course, isn't perfect. Either am I. Adopting a dog or any other animal comes with baggage. I wasn't sure we could train her to walk without pulling, or not being timid around men, or not aggressive around her bones or not chasing pizza delivery cars. Many of those bad habits are still there, but that is her personality and we embrace it.
Maisey is a family member and is treated like a family member. Many think I am crazy for taking her for car rides with me every where I go, that she sleeps in our bed, that I brush her teeth, take her to the dog park, feed her yummy scraps of steak.... but I don't care. Whew, I said it. Laugh at me, but my dog is my best friend.
My friends, consider adoption. It is a rewarding experience that you will never regret. Of course, there are horror stories out there about people who adopt a dog and it ends up being a disaster. It happens, but don't give up. To me, the pros of adoption out weigh the cons.
Everyone wants to jump on the "green" bandwagon. Shopping with reusable bags, buying hybrid cars...why not consider adoption as being "green" too?
Recycle an animal, instead of buying one.
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Check out my pet jewelry! On sale until Saturday at midnight!
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| Dakota Dog Tag |
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| Rescued Tag |
2 comments:
Very heartfelt and sweet, Em!
p.s. here I am!
Love your message :)
Maybe someday we'll get a lil rescue pup!
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