Gone to the Dogs....

Meet my girls..... Trixie & Lucy.   

We've always had dogs, mostly labs.   My husband, Gary, and I raised three sons.  We made a conscious decision to raise our boys out in the country.  Over the years, along with our sons, we  also raised a whole tribe of assorted large, outside dogs.     Most of them were rescued or inherited from one place or another.  Anyone who knows me can tell you I pretty much prefer dogs over people.   I have a heart for animal rescue.   These beautiful four-legged souls depend on us to be their voices, their hands & their advocates.  In return, they give us unconditional love, loyalty & devotion.    But it wasn't until my kids were almost grown that we added some sweet little inside dogs to our family.  

Trixie is 13 years old and was "rescued" from a friend's newly divorced daughter who was overwhelmed by 2 small children.  The kids were doing their best to stretch this sweet little wiener dog from 1 ft to 3 ft.     My husband, Gary, had always had a "no dogs in the house" rule.  For some reason, even though I'd grown up with a sweet little dog sleeping at my feet every night, I went along with it.  Probably because I was too busy raising 3 human boys at the time.     But all that changed the day I got a frantic call from my long time friend.   She was in tears.  Between dealing with her devastated daughter, who just lost her marriage, as well as taking care of 2 small grandchildren, she was overwhelmed.  I heard myself telling her to bring Trixie on over.  At first, I told Gary that she was just staying "for a short time" to help out my friend & to save the dog from being physically harmed.   He grumbled a bit but somehow sensed I wasn't budging.  (After all these years, he knows how to pick his battles.) After a few weeks turned into a few months he finally caught on.  My evil plan had worked!! (insert evil laughter here)  By that time he had fallen in love with Trixie.   She was a snuggle buddy in his recliner every night.   He pretended to be grumpy about it but when he thought I wasn't listening, I could hear him baby talking to her.  LOL    Trixie is the sweetest dog I've ever met.  She LOVES to be loved on.

Our second addition came only 3 years ago.  I got a call from a friend who knew a breeder who had a "last of the litter" mini-dachshund that was born with a broken tail.   The breeder was trying to decide whether to euthanize the puppy as "defective".  If she didn't euthanize her, she was planning to use her as a "breeder" dog.  I knew that meant she would spend her life in a small play-pen giving birth to litter after litter of puppies.  She was leaning toward not keeping her because potential buyers didn't like to see defective mothers.    Defective?   Her tail was just broken!  I know there are responsible breeders out there, but this was yet another reason I will never, ever, buy from a breeder.  It was the day before Christmas Eve & I knew time was of the essence.   I took off work & drove into the middle of nowhere.  It was over an hours drive to an area I probably couldn't even get back to if I tried.   I swooped in and even paid the breeder to take the sweetest little black & tan puppy off her hands.   Yes, her tail looked like the "flag-up" on a mailbox, but her life was precious!     I named her Lucy after my sweet mother-in-law.     When I drove back home that afternoon, I figured I'd just brace myself for the storm to come.  (I think after 30 years I've learned it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.)   Once again, the grumbling ensued, but Lucy was the cutest little puppy you ever saw and it only took Gary about 2 days to fall in love with her.   

Fast forward 3 years later and to hear him talk, these are HIS baby girls.. haha     He even tries to plan our vacations around pet friendly places.   He brings them out every morning and evening and LOVES them unconditionally.   Heck, I'm not sure if it was  between me or them, that he would choose me!!  Trixie & Lucy are 2 of the most spoiled princesses in the neighborhood!

Gary & are very involved in animal rescue and a local no-kill shelter, as are many of my friends.  I LOVE dog people. I've picked up hungry dogs on the side of the road.  I've chased frightened dogs down the highway.   Of course my stories are tame compared to one of my sweetest friends, Charlene.  She has a passion for animal rescue that makes me so proud of her.  Some of her stories are equally hilarious/borderline illegal!   But ALL in the best interest of a sweet dog.  Personally, I will NEVER pay for a specific breed of dog again.   RESCUE IS MY BREED OF CHOICE.   I can't imagine life without my "girls".   

If you're thinking about an animal, contact your local shelter.   Rescue dogs make the BEST pets ever!!

Take good care,

Cindy