Monday, July 23, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Introducing Chopper
Henry has been an only child for five years now. We got him from a hobby breeder in the middle of nowhere and brought him home at 8 weeks old. He has always been ours, always had a warm home, plenty of food and lots of love. All that said, he's still a nervous little guy. He's a very typical dachshund. They're territorial, vocal, alert and full of personality. He thinks he's a rottweiler. We got a pure bred because neither of us had raised a puppy in a long time, and a pure bred gave us a better idea of the traits we'd be getting. There was no way anyone could have predicted the wild ride Henry would end up being, but he's ours and we love him as much as most people love their children.
After a great deal of thought, we decided to get another dog. Our hope was that Henry would bond with another dog and relax a bit. At the very least, he would have a playmate. We wanted to rescue a dog this time, and started working with beagle and dachshund rescues to get approval and find our new addition. It was a three year old, 15lb black and tan doxie that took us out to the Petsmart near Mount Vernon. Lost Dog and Cat Foundation was having an adoption event there at 1pm. We got there at 1:10pm to find the dog already adopted.
Ethan and his boys, Jack and Mack, were with us. Henry was along for the ride, since he'd cast his vote before we brought anyone home. We were all a little annoyed at our luck. The folks from Lost Dog told us there were a couple of other doxies at an event in Sterling -- no where near Mount Vernon or our house for that matter. We had 45 minutes to get there.
When we got there, Jack and Mack were bouncing off the walls ready for us to get Henry's brother. It didn't take long to figure out that Henry had no interest whatsoever in the other doxies or any of the smaller dogs for that matter. We were on our way out when I saw a face that melted my heart. His name was Derek, and Henry just sat down beside him. Other than the fact he was going to need a new name, it seemed like we'd been led on a wild chase across Northern Virginia to find our boy.
We filled out the application, passed our interview and walked out the proud parents of a 25lb, 5-month-old Vizsla mix. He wasn't exactly what we'd planned, but it seems like the stars aligned to bring us to him.
After about a week, we finally settled on the name Chopper because his tail wags in a circular motion instead of back and forth. It took a couple of those days for Henry to really warm up to him. Until then, Henry just kept giving us a look like, "When is that leaving?" Then, they started playing. They've only stopped to eat and sleep since.
Chopper is a chill, affectionate and smart. He is a loving and loveable creature that exudes happiness. It's apparent he wants to please and just wants to be close to us and loved. I'll never understand how he ended up in a kill shelter in West Virginia. It's tragic to think this lovebug could have been put down had Lost Dog not taken him. We were given all sorts of cautions about issues a rescue dog can have -- not eating, anxiety. Many dogs never really get over being abandoned, but luckily, Chopper seems unphased by his experience. He's slept well, eaten well and taken to his brother and the good life like a duck to water. Yes, I'm pretty sure it was meant to be.
If you're considering bringing a pet into your home, please make sure you know what you're getting into, make a commitment to loving it like a child and making it a member of your family, and most of all, please consider adoption. There are more fur babies than will ever find homes. Too many don't find their way to rescue. From the look on that face, I think Chopper knows he's one of the lucky ones.
After a great deal of thought, we decided to get another dog. Our hope was that Henry would bond with another dog and relax a bit. At the very least, he would have a playmate. We wanted to rescue a dog this time, and started working with beagle and dachshund rescues to get approval and find our new addition. It was a three year old, 15lb black and tan doxie that took us out to the Petsmart near Mount Vernon. Lost Dog and Cat Foundation was having an adoption event there at 1pm. We got there at 1:10pm to find the dog already adopted.
Ethan and his boys, Jack and Mack, were with us. Henry was along for the ride, since he'd cast his vote before we brought anyone home. We were all a little annoyed at our luck. The folks from Lost Dog told us there were a couple of other doxies at an event in Sterling -- no where near Mount Vernon or our house for that matter. We had 45 minutes to get there.
When we got there, Jack and Mack were bouncing off the walls ready for us to get Henry's brother. It didn't take long to figure out that Henry had no interest whatsoever in the other doxies or any of the smaller dogs for that matter. We were on our way out when I saw a face that melted my heart. His name was Derek, and Henry just sat down beside him. Other than the fact he was going to need a new name, it seemed like we'd been led on a wild chase across Northern Virginia to find our boy.
After about a week, we finally settled on the name Chopper because his tail wags in a circular motion instead of back and forth. It took a couple of those days for Henry to really warm up to him. Until then, Henry just kept giving us a look like, "When is that leaving?" Then, they started playing. They've only stopped to eat and sleep since.
Chopper is a chill, affectionate and smart. He is a loving and loveable creature that exudes happiness. It's apparent he wants to please and just wants to be close to us and loved. I'll never understand how he ended up in a kill shelter in West Virginia. It's tragic to think this lovebug could have been put down had Lost Dog not taken him. We were given all sorts of cautions about issues a rescue dog can have -- not eating, anxiety. Many dogs never really get over being abandoned, but luckily, Chopper seems unphased by his experience. He's slept well, eaten well and taken to his brother and the good life like a duck to water. Yes, I'm pretty sure it was meant to be.
If you're considering bringing a pet into your home, please make sure you know what you're getting into, make a commitment to loving it like a child and making it a member of your family, and most of all, please consider adoption. There are more fur babies than will ever find homes. Too many don't find their way to rescue. From the look on that face, I think Chopper knows he's one of the lucky ones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)