Friday, July 30, 2010

Boy do I have a lot of Updating to do!

In my last post about Al, I wrote about him receiving his HW treatment on my birthday, December 3rd. Well, something even greater happened. On December 3, 2009, Nick officially adopted Al. Of course, now I have to share my birthday with Al's adoption day, and he just might get more gifts then me. I'm not certain how much I like that! ;) Just Kidding - In fact, I am the one that will be spoiling him with "gotcha-day" gifts!

Al is doing really well. He no longer has pnemonia or heartworm, and I am confident he will lead a healthy life from now on. We've been dealing with allergies and trying to find the right food, which is a HUGE struggle! I have so much more to say, but wanted to get this quick update in today. More to come later...

Thursday, July 29, 2010

But I don’t want a dog with Issues

I was having Mother’s Day brunch with my in-laws when cousin Joe began talking of his quest to find a new puppy in a local pet store. Being a person that has dedicated tireless amounts of energy into dog rescue, I had to ask Joe if he would consider a rescue dog. His response, “But, I don’t want a dog with issues”. Boy, do I have something to tell you…

Contrary to what many believe, you are actually no more likely to get a dog with “issues” from a rescue then you are from a pet store. In most cases, the puppies sold at pet stores come from puppy mills or large breeding organizations where the health of the puppy is indeterminable, until you have him checked by a veterinarian. Even then, there are often times underlying issues with a puppy mill puppy that do not appear until later. In rescues, dogs often times live with foster families who understand their temperaments, likes and dislikes, and are often fully evaluated by a veterinarian before they are even put up for adoption. You are able to speak with the foster families and understand how the rescue dog acts around dogs, children, cats. If there are any issues with the rescue dog, you will most likely find out before you commit to him.

And if that does not convince you, I have one more little secret. Rescues have puppies, too. - lots of them. They have purebreds, mixed breeds, males and females. So, if you are set on a puppy, why not adopt and save a life?