Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Welcome Sophie


Sorry I have not posted anything all week. This is why.
Shortly after losing Dakota a few weeks ago we started talking about getting another dog. I had seen a show on Oprah before Dakota died about puppy mills and how dogs in shelters were not getting adopted because of them so we decided to go that route this time and save a life. The first dog we ended up seeing was from a no kill shelter here in Denver called The Maxfund. The dog we saw was an 8 mth old border collie mix. She was a really sweet dog but had separation anxiety. We thought she would be a good match for us because I am home most of the time. The initial meeting went well so we filled out the application to adopt her. Three days went by and we still had not heard anything so I finally called over there last Saturday and found out we were turned down to adopt the dog because there was a place on the application that asked if the dog would get walked. Rich checked yes but then said that some days it may not happen if something unexpected came up like weather or sickness. Can you believe we were turned down for that???? I also could not believe that they did not have the courtesy to call and tell us we were turned down either. I don't know how any dogs get adopted there if their policies are that strict. At least it is a no kill shelter though.
After that happened we decided to go to another private shelter here in Denver called The Denver Dumb Friends League and look for a dog there. We headed over there last Saturday morning but after waiting 1 1/2 hours to see the dogs we wanted to see we only ended up seeing one dog. Because they were so busy and disorganized we left. After that experience we started seriously talking about getting a pure bread puppy instead but decided to try the shelter again on Sunday . This time we went in with a list of the dogs we wanted to see hoping that would speed up the process and we would have better luck actually seeing the dogs this time but once again we ended up leaving because it was going to take hrs to see the dogs again. Before we left I saw a sign that said we could make an appointment to see the dogs we wanted to see so we decided to try one more time that way. I made an appointment for Monday night at 5. Shortly after we go there the first dog we saw was a 1yr old M Jack Russel Terrier. There was something about him I didn't really like though. Next we saw a 3 yr old F border collie mix. This was one of the dogs I wanted to see Saturday but never got to see her. I felt a connection to her right away. The last dog we saw was a 2-3 yr old border collie. Unfortunately she was sick with kennel cough, wasn't spade and was a big mess so I didn't really bond with her either. Rich was open to getting any of them though. At that point I still wasn't convinced we should get a dog there because we did not know their history and because of that I was thinking we still might be better off with a purebred puppy but Rich convinced me that we really needed to get one of the dogs we saw and save a life like we talked about so we decided on the 2nd one. The F border collie mix.
We finally got her home after being there for almost 2 hrs. She did well in the car on the way home and Lily seemed to get along with her okay. Unfortunately shortly after we got her home she started coughing and kept us up half the night. Turns out she has kennel cough which was what I was trying to avoid. I have lost count on how many doggie flem messes I have cleaned up now. I also found out she has giarida yesterday too. I feel so bad for her. When we decided to get her they assured us she was healthy. That makes me really wonder what is going on in these shelters. I also found out that she had been in a shelter since the end of Jan. so I am really glad we got her out of there. We also had an episode where she tried to attack Lily over food too. She scared Lily so bad I had to wrap Lily in a blanket and hold her until she calmed down. She has been a really sweet dog the rest of the time though and they seem to be getting along okay now. So now you know why I have not posted anything all week. This whole thing has been very stressful but I am still happy that we can give her a good home. I also hope once we can get her healthy she and Lily will become friends eventually too. Because of all this I have not had any time to stamp either but hopefully I will have something stamping realted to share with you all soon. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a good night.

3 comments:

Ann said...

What a process! Glad you got a new dog though. What are you naming her?

Dawn Easton said...

Oh my goodness! What a week! I'm glad that you ended up with a sweet dog and that you can provide her with a wonderful home! Sorry that she ended up being sick. Our dog occasionally gets kennel cough even though she gets regular vaccinations. Usually within a day or two of taking the meds she seems back to normal.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Good luck on the blog candy too!

Ret said...

Terri, I just read your story on Sophie. I'm so glad you decided to take her & that you are working on getting her well! It will so worth it once she gets all settled in. We have 3 rescue dogs & altho it was quite challenging in the beginning each time we got one, they have all turned out to be wonderful members of the family. I'm so happy that you went the shelter route. I'm proud of you sticking with it, even with all the bad luck you had getting in to see the dogs! She's a lucky dog to have such a warm Mom & wonderful family. Enjoy!!