Finding a Dog for our Family

 We started out on this journey looking for a dog to add to our family.  We already have one amazing 5 year old Labradoodle, Abbey.  We love our animals and were ready to add a second one to the mix.  Our motivation to do it now was our 7 year old had asked for a dog for Christmas. We decided it was as good of time as any to make the move.  We discussed what was important to us when looking for a dog and make our 'wish list'.  It contained details on behavior, size, and grooming needs.  We felt pretty good that we knew what we wanted in our next dog. We started looking at rescues because we would prefer to get our perfect dog from a rescue so we can feel good about it and help a dog in need. As you can image it was a challenge to find a dog that met the criteria we defined at the local shelters.  I mentioned to my neighbor that we needed a reference for one possible dog that we were hoping to meet from a shelter near by.  It didn't work out as she was adopted before we met her (lucky girl). However my neighbor started asking some friends if they new any good options for us. 

Within minutes, a friend replied that they had puppies coming available at their shelter in the next 2 days and if we would consider a puppy they would meet some of the criteria on our list.  We weren't crazy about the idea of a puppy as we know how much work that can be. These dogs were rescued from a puppy mill in Iowa earlier that month so there was some extra heartstrings pulled when considering them.  For some reason my initial reaction was to ask about the Momma. I figured if they rescued the puppies there must be a Mom around there as well and she might come to us without all the fuss of a puppy. Sure enough she would be ready for adoption a few days later...

I went the the shelter so I could meet the puppies and the Mom. When I was driving over I kept thinking of all the ways I was going to decide which one I wanted for our family.  I had a whole list of things that would help me decide.  I wanted to see the Mom first since who could resist a puppy after meeting it.  They had her in an office away from all the other dogs in the rescue. She was in a wire kennel just waiting to get out. As soon as the rescue worker opened the door she went to the back of the kennel and had to be pulled out. She eventually came out with some curiosity but her tail between her legs. She was not interested in me or any other human near her. As soon as I saw her gentle eyes and sweet expression I fell in love. I can't explain the feeling I had when I saw her. All of the sudden I could care less about my carefully planned list of criteria that I needed from the dog.  It became about what she needed from us.  She needed a family would be patient and loving.  She needed someone to be home with her most of the time and I work from home full-time. She needed another dog to help show her the way to be a dog (Abbey).  We provided all of these things to her.  

My heart was connected to hers from the very first minute I saw her.  She nervously walked around me curious about what was around her.  She didn't look at me one time. She wanted to pretend I was not there.  If I came anywhere near her she would just freeze. For the first time in my life, I was around a dog who human attention wasn't what they wanted. I sat on the floor next to her and just talked very quietly.  She was near me only because we had her on a leash. I was told by the rescue worker to keep a leash on her at all times even if we were not holding it.  It would give us a quick way to get her to do what we needed her to do. They said to expect her to be afraid of most things. Some examples were walking through doorways, taking the stairs, any new sound, eating food from a bowl, and so on.  I was taking it all in.  Please tell me more. What does she need me to do?  How can I help her become a dog? My whole perception of what was important changed in an instant. It wasn't about what we wanted in a dog...it was what the dog needed from us.  

We named her Rita. She comes home with us today.  I intend to document her journey each week in this blog so I can see her progress and remain patient as she learns to trust and love our family.  

Rita - 2-3 years old

  

One of us is happy

Abbey