Adopt a Dog and Make a Forever Friend

Since my second “rescue dog”, Hershey, turned two yesterday, I decided to write a little article on adopting a dog. I have been an animal lover my entire life and have always had a dog in the family. All our former dogs were purchased from very reputable breeders. My last dog, a wonderful Chocolate Lab named Toby passed away in 1995 and I vowed to never have another for it was just too hard to go through the pain of the loss. Then came Hurricane Katrina and I knew that my contribution to the tragedy was to rescue a dog. So many dogs were in need of help. In a twist of fate, we met Mickey (a retriever mix) through a rescue group in our town. The founder of Great Dog Rescue New England lives near my daughter and was “fostering” a puppy who had been transported to New England from Arkansas. I met him and the rest is history as they say! His mother had been surrendered to a shelter by her owner who had lost his home due to the flooding from the hurricane. Mom delivered her litter two weeks later. This rescue group, like many others, tries to free dogs from the high-kill shelters in the South sometimes with no time to spare. This puppy was one of the lucky ones and is now a wonderful member of our family. I had forgotten how much work it was having a puppy!! We survived puppyhood, then my husband announced that we should get a “friend” for Mickey. At first I was against the idea, but then succumbed to the idea if I could look for a Chocolate lab to join our family. After a month of searching the website of GDRNE.com and the special help of the founder and her volunteers, we found Hershey. A rescue volunteer in Tennessee had discovered a litter of what seemed to be Chocolate Labs in her neighborhood. One of these puppies was promised to me and I started preparing for the new arrival. Unfortunately, all the puppies except one wondered into the woods. Somehow that sweet little pup stayed home and was taken from those bad conditions by a volunteer and placed in a temporary foster home. A month later that pup made his journey on the transport to Massachusetts. He is a beautiful Chocolate Lab (I had his DNA tested and he is a pure bred lab!) and made himself right at home. This rescue group works countless hours to help our furry friends in the South find wonderful homes and families in New England. I would certainly recommend to anyone who is considering getting a dog to adopt one. The Great Dog Rescue Group screens dogs for personality before placing them in the program and works very hard to match dogs and families. Dogs are also spayed or neutered before adoption and have all the appropriate shots. It is a wonderful and rewarding gift to give a dog a chance at a better life. Take a look at the website www.gdrne.com if you are in the New England area. Happy holidays to all and best wishes for a very happy and healthy New Year!