|
  |
|
|
Are Dogs from Rescue Groups Any Good?
We used to have a purebred yellow lab - he was rescued from an elderly gentleman who was really unable to care properly for him, but the gentleman was unable to recognize that. We got the dog when he was six months old. He was afraid of loud noises, chewed on shoes (because they had been provided as toys by his previous owner), and didn't like people. He barked at everyone that came near him, and was quite likely to bite them if he was near enough. Our vet warned us that he probably wouldn't live very long, since he had throat damage from an improperly used choker collar by his previous owner. It made me wonder about the wisdom of taking a dog that had been rescued, instead of getting one from a breeder. We crate-trained him, and gave him as much love as we could. He gradually began to change, became accepting of us as "his people", and turned fiercely loyal to us. It took about 1 year, but he finally could be trusted out of his crate without chewing everything in sight when we weren't home, and could walk down the street on his leash without attacking anyone. When he was 7 years old (people years, that is), we took him in for his annual check-up. As had become the case during the previous few years, our vet marvelled at the fact that he seemed perfectly healthy and the vet always mentioned that he didn't think he'd live this long. I casually mentioned to the vet that a baby was on the way, and the vet looked horrified. He couldn't warn me enough that our dog had been through difficult circumstances, had gotten used to the way things were currently, and wasn't likely to accept the new addition to our family very well. Our son was born, and our dog was amazing! He would bark if our son woke from a nap and we didn't hurry to the crib quickly enough. He would run up and down the stairs to get us to follow him if he heard our son making noises in his crib. As our son grew old enough to try to stand, our son would crawl over to our dog, grab fistfuls of hair, and pull himself upright. Our dog never growled or snapped at him. When our son played on the floor, our dog would lay right there with him. For seven years, our dog was our son's best friend. The vet was amazed how well our dog had handled the transition, and kept commenting on how healthy he was and that he was amazed at how long he was living. After 14 years, our dog went to "doggy heaven". Our son was devestated, as were we. Even our vet cried over our dog's death. During the year after our dog died, our son kept telling us we could just go to the store and buy another yellow dog to replace our old one. It took a little more than a year, but our son finally realized that things just don't work that way. He started asking if we could rescue another dog. After the experience we had had, the answer was simple - of course! We put our name in with a few rescue groups, and almost immediately the phone calls started coming in with dogs that needed homes. One group that called had a female dog that had been rescued pregnant, and had just had a litter of 12 pups - and were we interested in seeing them? We let our son skip school for the afternoon and went to visit. Our son, of course, wanted to take them all, but one pup came and sat on his foot, and wouldn't move. When my son sat on the floor, the pup crawled into his lap and went to sleep. We had gone to pick a pup, but one had picked us, instead! Our son looked up and said,"He was sent by Kail (our old dog) to make me happy and to take care of me." Since you can't argue with that, we took the new pup home. We now have a second wonderful dog, and have contacted the rescue group about a "sister" or "brother" to add to the family. If you are looking for a pet, please check with the rescue groups in your area - you find the most amazing pets there!
|
Contributor's Note
Try adopting a pet from a rescue organization - you'll be glad you did!
|
|
|
 |
|
PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
No reactions yet.
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
The copyright for this content entitled "Are Dogs from Rescue Groups Any Good?" has been specified by the contributor as:
All Rights Reserved
This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
|
|
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
