Question: How did you get your dog?

[dog_lover_canada]

I was just talking to a friend of mine, and we were discussing how we each got our dogs. I thought it would be intresting to find out how we all got our babies....
Ok well here is how I got my little sweetie.. I had lost my lovely beagle to old age, and we decided to start looking for a new dog to love. We were in no rush, so I happened to be in the city one day and stopped by the spca, just to see what they had. Well I just wanted to take them all home...but they were all big dogs and we were looking for a smaller one. I asked the manager if they ever had small dogs but she said they don't usually. She then told me that she had a list of a few people who were looking for good homes for their dogs. So I looked through the list and saw a lady had a Lhasa she needed to find a home for. I took the number and called her from the shelter, she told me to come look at him. When I pulled in the driveway, i saw this little matted, dirty, dog. He was so sad looking, when I approched him he cowered and laid on his back and proceeded to pee on me. At that moment i pick him up and he snuggled up with me, and I havent put him down since. It's been 7 years, and he is the most lovable, sweet boy I've ever had. He has come such a long way, when we brought him home i remember the kids would throw a toy for him and he would just look at it..like "what is that, and what do you want me to do ?"..now he has a basket full of toys that he plays with all day...And that is how I got my sweet "Dusty da Dog"

 

[yoko]

well i had run away from home in feb, lived in random friends spare rooms, finally gotten my own place but since wasn't tlaking to family and was only working wanted to get a dog. never found one on petfinder that i really liked and found out claremore had an animal shelter with no webpage. so drove an hour or so to go see and sure enough there was the cutest little puppy in the world there! but i couldn't adopt for another three days. so went home went back two days later and puppy was still there but a couple was looking at him and wanted him too. there was a small white dog that had been there the first time too but it was kinda... funky looking and in the crappy light had a gross dirty look to it's fur. the first time i had been there it did everything possible to get to me and get my attention. well they pulled it out and they were about to take it to be put down and so they offered it one more time and the people were like 'no we want this puppy' and the other one. and i paused and i was like 'i want it' so they put the dog in the cage, i was about to fill out the paper work when both the workers got called away by a phone call about some animal and had to leave. so the next day before work at 7 am i showed up there filled out the paper work, went to work, got off early and drove all the way back to claremore to pick up my puppy. they brought her out and she was so pretty she's a beautiful gold color with huge ears and big eyes they handed her over to me and told me to be careful of where the cut was where they had fixed her. she was so under weight her hips stuck out and so did her ribs and she only weighed 14 lbs. the whole ride home she kept trying to just sit in my lap and lean against me. i've had yoshi now for a year and three months and eight days

 

[dog_lover_canada]

oh.. that's a nice story...sometimes it's like they pick us...it was meant to be..

 

[bubbatd]

Ollie found me .... I was led to Petfinder the night after I had to put my dear Chip on the path towards the Bridge . That was July 6th ...the 7th I was his .

 

[bubbatd]

Fate, Yoko .............fate !! Same here !

 

[~Jessie~]

My boyfriend and I wanted a small dog to share our apartment with. In June 2005 we got Madison. We went to look at him at his breeder's, and he was in a rubbermaid tub full of cedar shavings. He had ear mites and smelled awful. We couldn't leave him there, and he was the cutest puppy... so of course we bought him. A couple of months later, we wanted to get him a friend, and this time we wanted another chihuahua but from a responsible breeder. We bought Rylie in November of 2005. Well, since chihuahuas are like potato chips (ya can't have just 1...or 2... lol), we wanted a third. I really wanted a blue merle chihuahua, so in May 2006 we bought Chloe. I love having all three chis

 

[kalija]

When my husband and I first moved in together a friend of ours had a litter of GSD puppies - they were so adorable! I really wanted one, but we had just got this apartment and couldn't have a dog. Well a guy that worked with my hubby wanted a dog, so he took one of the pups. A year later we had bought a house, and found out he was going to take her to the humane society, she was a serious destructive chewer and he just didn't have time for her. So we went and got her. Thats how we got Dutchess, and we've had her 10 years. Our puppy Zuki, well I had no intention of getting a puppy at the time. We had been discussing getting a pup sometime in the near future tho. Anyway last april I took my son to Petsmart for some fish, and they were having doggie adoption day. Next thing I knew my son (20 months) was holding out his arms to this cute little pup, and the lady asked if he wanted to hold him. Zuki snuggled right in to him, what else could I do but bring him home!

 

[Lizmo]

Well I was 11 years old and I had been begging my parents for a puppy so they said if I took care of our family dog Major(like brush him daily, walk him, get him fresh water, ect) I would soon be able to go to the shelter and pick out one!

So the day came and we went to look at a cocker but it was very scared so I did not want that to be my first doggie.

Then the lady showed us a group of pups that had been dropped off the other day because a dog had a litter of pups the owners did not want(the pups we only about 4 weeks old) So there was only one female the color I wanted so she got her out(she was very sick at the time so she was not very active at the time)(poor baby).

And while we were wanting for my dad to come and look at her before I was able to have her(his mother was a very good breeder so he wanted to look over her before I could get her) While we were waiting she had a accident on me but that was okay and I still wanted that little pup! So dad said I could have her and we took her to petsmart to get her a collar and leash and toys!!!

Then we took her to the vet to see want was wrong with her and she hd fleas that had died on her so he gave us some shampoo to wash her with and we had to go this every dag for about a week and she would cry and cry because the of the smell of the shampoo was very strong and did not smell good. Now she is all better. She is the best dog I could have ever had!!!

 

[2BlackDogs]

My husband and I were renting a house and then we bought one at the end of July this year. A week before closing the neighbors' son was talking to me about the new house and asked if I might be interested in a dog. He moved back in with his dad and didn't have room for a large dog. His ex wife was taking care of him but she was moving and couldn't keep him for long. I said I would ask my hubby and let him know. After talking it over with James for 2 weeks he finally gave in and said I don't think it's a good idea but i'll leave it up to you. So I took him. He's wonderful! And his previous owner really loved him and cried when he handed me the leash. But he said he felt it was best and hoped he would have a great life. Hubby didn't take to well to him at first but now they've become best friends. He even plays ball with him in the house after he told me if wouldn't be allowed. LOL.

 

[blue]

Well the old local offroad forum that I got the Bluedawg from is long gone.

There was a post for a free mutt on that forum that had to go in a few weeks or he was going to the ASPCA . THere was alot of interest but none that could take him for a month or longer, the longest was close to 6 months. the 5 week old pup was being terrorised by a Lapsa and small kids.

I was going to Chicago for a week shortly after i saw the post, and figured if nobody would give him a home while I was gone I would take him even though I wasnt looking for a puppy or even a dog.

I was suprised when I got home he still hadnt found a home so I posted I will take him, owning my own home and the roommates having a dog I was somewhat prepared for my own dog.

My post on the new local offroad forum.

Getting to see Anthrax live for the first time and getting a puppy in the same week I have to say was one very outstanding week.

 

[Ashlea]

I was fostering a dog and she was due to be flown to her new home. I had to drop her off at AWS for shipping.

When I was leaving I noticed this little, dirty, mostly bald dog walking like she was scared with her head down and ears back. She approached me so gingerly it broke my heart. She sniffed my foot and the little tail twitched just barely. When I reached down to her she cowered and lay on her back.

I couldn't get the ugly little thing out of my head. She was so skinny I was scared she would break in amoungst all those big dogs.

I called the lady at AWS to ask after Lulu, the foster. And then asked about the little nervous dog. She told me she was due to be PTS in 2 days. I told her I would take her. She was too underweight to undergo a spay and had only just got over billery.

I arrived to pick her up and as she was laid in my arms I melted. I nearly lost her twice in the first week I had her, she was just so weak and sick. I knew I would fight for that little girl no matter what.

She has been through hell, she welped out in the bush, nearly died of billery and lost her litter because she was to weak to get back to them.
My feelings on Lilly are that we are friends, she was about 4 or 5 when I got her, so it is not really a master/dog situation, Lilly stays with me because she knows I saved her and she saved me. (she was there for me when I left an abusive relationship) So when we walk down the road in silence we are companions, friends and most of all just darn good buddies. We love each other.

Not a day goes by that that brave little girl is not an inspiration to me, the fact that she can still smile makes me realise that no matter how bad things get, there is always a reason to smile.

P.S: she is spayed now.

 

[cowgurl6254]

I met Andy's breeder when my sister bought a horse from that ranch. My parent's had always had shelties, and since I was now living on my own with my husband, I had been wanting to get my own. I knew I wanted a sable and white male as this was the color of my first sheltie who was tragically killed. I asked the breeder to put me one the waiting list, and in the middle of march I got the e-mail that she had one sable and white male who was not spoken for. The breeder lived almost 2 hours away, so without even seeing the puppy I payed for him and made him mine. I think I just knew that he was the puppy God wanted me to have. Anyways, I went to pick him up and the breeder opened the horse stall where she kept that litter. Andy ran out, marched right up to me, and sat on my foot. He didn't leave my side the entire time I was signing the paperwork. Since then, he has been my dream dog and my constant shadow

 

[cowgurl6254]

I was fostering a dog and she was due to be flown to her new home. I had to drop her off at AWS for shipping.

When I was leaving I noticed this little, dirty, mostly bald dog walking like she was scared with her head down and ears back. She approached me so gingerly it broke my heart. She sniffed my foot and the little tail twitched just barely. When I reached down to her she cowered and lay on her back.

I couldn't get the ugly little thing out of my head. She was so skinny I was scared she would break in amoungst all those big dogs.

I called the lady at AWS to ask after Lulu, the foster. And then asked about the little nervous dog. She told me she was due to be PTS in 2 days. I told her I would take her. She was too underweight to undergo a spay and had only just got over billery.

I arrived to pick her up and as she was laid in my arms I melted. I nearly lost her twice in the first week I had her, she was just so weak and sick. I knew I would fight for that little girl no matter what.

She has been through hell, she welped out in the bush, nearly died of billery and lost her litter because she was to weak to get back to them.
My feelings on Lilly are that we are friends, she was about 4 or 5 when I got her, so it is not really a master/dog situation, Lilly stays with me because she knows I saved her and she saved me. (she was there for me when I left an abusive relationship) So when we walk down the road in silence we are companions, friends and most of all just darn good buddies. We love each other.

Not a day goes by that that brave little girl is not an inspiration to me, the fact that she can still smile makes me realise that no matter how bad things get, there is always a reason to smile.

P.S: she is spayed now.

What a beautiful story! I'm so glad you saved her.

 

[Jules]

My husband and I always talked about getting a dog when we moved in together. We both love dogs and I thought it would be really nice to have a companion while he would be deployed. He was due to be shipped out by the end of january...so by the time we hit the middle of december, I pretty much sensed that it would be too late to start looking around.

But he started to take me to different shelters. I ws happy, but also realized that we had different thoughts on the new addition. He wanted a puppy, I didn't want to be alone raising a puppy- I wanted to adopt an older dog. I told myself not to take a dog home just because it's cute (I'd have all the dogs here then by now), but one I felt a connection with.

After looking through all the shelters around us...I was disappointed and sad. We hadn't found a dog. I mean, we saw alot, and sooo many were cute...but something was missing. It wasn't about looks...it was about a special connection. And then I browsed through the internet the weekend before christmas and I saw this little puppy with the floppy ears and the big eyes. I knew, it was her. The next day, we made the 3 hour drive to the shelter.
T-Bone belonged to a litter of puppies that were found in an old empty house, ready to be torn down, someone had dumped the whole litter.
While all the other puppies were happy, bouncing around, and greeting us with barking, T-Bone sat aside and just watched us. All the other puppies already got adopted- but T-Bone. Nobody paid attention to her...or everyone looks out for the happy, bouncy puppies and didn't like her being quiet.

We took her out of the cage and into a play room. First she just sat there shaking, but when I kneeled down she immediately jumped on my knees and reached to lick my chin. We played a little bit and when it was time to take her back, I picked her up and she snuggled against me. When the woman working there tried to take her away, she whined a little bit. And that was it. I knew she was my girl.

 

[Ashlea]

What a beautiful story! I'm so glad you saved her.

Thanks. I look at it like she saved me, I am very glad I met my best friend that day.

 

[Chul3l3ies1126]

If i tell the stories the way i want to it will take up at least 2 pages, so i'll just break it down short.
---Bingo my born blind Dachshund: I was 8 years old and my dad wanted to get us a dog, my mom grew up with dachshunds so that was the dog. We went and saw him, last in the litter and his mom had a bell on. We got home and for about 2 days my dad watched him, he played, but bumped in to everything and couldnt find his toy unless it was the blue bell ball. Took him to the vet, he was blind. Corneal Distrophy if im correct, common in dachshund breed. Well, called breeder, denied it be possible, showed 2 vet reports, and they offered the money back and they were goin to take him. They said he was useless and were goin to put him to sleep. NOOO!!! My mom said no, and we kept him, he's like a regular dog, cant tell he's blind until Christmas... LOL!!!
---Guera: From my high school, she was about 6 wks, and a group of guys were kicking her around like a ball!!!! Boy i freaked, i ran in and pushed two of the guys, they grabbed at me and i punched another, i got slapped by one. But i got her and i put her in my backpack. Sigh... my dad worked there so i went to his room and we took her to the vet and then home. Been with me for bout 5 years.
---Boozer and Macho: from my lovely Lab Dobe mix Hooch and my white shepard mix Xena.
---Hooch rescued from an owner who tried to keep him locked in a trailer bathroom.
---Xena from the back of my sisters middle school. Xena went into heat and i had locked her in the pen for the time needed but it rained one night and i put her inside with the others... and that was all hooch needed. All the pups were given for free with their shots and deworming to good homes, (lol i went to the houses and inspected)... well yea, thats all my family.

 

[Sweet72947]

Daisy came from one of my best friends who bred their dog (once) pretty much just to breed her. (They aren't bad people, just a little ignorant. I am in the process of convincing them to spay her.) Daisy was the last puppy to be taken. She was nine weeks old.

My sister brought Benji home one night while my mom and I were at Church and my dad was outside mowing the lawn. We come home and there is an extra dog in the house! Benji had been owned by a neglectful, abusive owner who just let him run the streets. Benji would go everday to this store where a woman would feed him hotdogs. Sometimes his owner would pick him up at the end of the day and the woman at the store witnessed the owner beating up on Benji . My sister saw his cute little face and couldn't leave him there, so she brought him home. At first my dad was like "NO we aren't keeping him!" But Benji quickly wrapped my dad around his little paw!
We have had him for over a year now. We beleive he is about 2 years old.

 

[elegy]

the first dog i had was a mini poodle who had been owned by an elderly woman who had to go into a nursing home. her dog, siren, came to the vet hospital where i worked where one of the vets had promised to find her a home. but who on earth was going to want a 15 year old, half-blind, half-deaf, non-housebroken, senile old coot of a poodle with serious heart disease and kidney dysfunction?

yeah. i had her for 18 months.

i got luce about 6 months into dog-ownership. i'd wanted a pit bull for years but wasn't in a position to own one. luce was the one at the shelter who just spoke to me (though she wasn't what i'd gone in looking for. i'd wanted a dark brindle middle-aged male. i came home with a red crazy adolescent female.) boy am i a poor judge of character

i got mushroom after the poodle passed away. doberkim was awesome enough to hook me up with him and to drive him several hours to meet luce for the first time. she told me he was sweet and squishy and wonderful and a grown up (that was important to me- i didn't want a pup who would have a greater chance of maturing into dog-aggresion. i wanted a wysiwyg kind of dog), and darned if he wasn't.

 

[dog_lover_canada]

OH they are all such heart warming stories...thanks guys

 

[ToscasMom]

It took me nearly two years to get Tosca. It was one error after another. I found two back yard breeders and hightailed the heck away from them. The dogs were so pathetic, I almost felt like rescuing them. I could only find two breeders within a two hour area, names given to me by the area AKC people, one of them said they would definitely put me on a consideration list and then the mating fell through. The other never even had the courtesy to call me back. I also found a smooth collie breeder and I liked her alot. But alas that mating didn't work either! I felt like birth control for Collies! Finally, I wondered why the collie club people didn't give me names beyond the immiedate area. It seemed like they were only pushing each other as the only breeders. So I went to AKC and found breeders further away. I clicked on one link and there they were, born the day before!! One day old! I IMMEDIATELY set my sites on Tosca. Now the problem was, the breeder had a list as long as her arm, so I had to convince her that giving me a puppy would be a very very lucky experience for one of her dogs. Even more audacious, I knew which puppy I wanted. LOL. So I went to work. I called her twice. I emailed her. I told her more about me than most of my friends know. lol. Then...I had my vet of 22 years email her. In the email he said that he would give me one of his KIDs. Hahaha. That did it.

What a great experience, the breeder and I were practically relatives during the next nine weeks, watching them grow. She sent photos regularly. She promised me "one of them" but couldn't guarantee Tosca. I managed to pull that off too.

One thing's for sure. When you are willing to wait nearly two years to find the right dog, it's love.