A Forever Home
I never thought I wanted a dog. They were too much work. A dog had to be walked every day - even on the days when it was cold, or rainy, or hot. A dog would keep me from just deciding to go out of town at the last minute. A dog wasn’t in my budget. And…I’m just not a dog person.
But then I ended up hanging out with some friends who had two dogs that I adored. We went on hikes together and when they would go out of town, I would take care of their dogs. So I started to think….maybe.
I knew that if I got a dog, I would adopt a rescue. I have nothing against people who want pure breeds….my brother and sister-in-law have a purebred lab and he’s fantastic. But I wanted to give a dog who had been forgotten a home. I also didn’t want a puppy — even though not knowing a dog’s history made me nervous.
So as I was pursuing an adoption website one night I came across a photo of a dog who looked just like my friend’s dog. I reached out to the animal rescue and 2 weeks later I found myself standing in line at a Petsmart with a cart full of dog paraphernalia while holding my new dog on her leash.
She was somewhere between 3-4 years. Someone had abandoned her and she was found wandering a busy highway in North Atlanta. A guy who owned an auto repair business was keeping her in his garage but decided he couldn’t care for a dog. When she was rescued, she was malnourished, sick, and terrified of people.
Thanks to this animal rescue group, she beginning to gain weight and was treated for all of the diseases she picked up on the street. She had begun to work with a trainer and a loving team of volunteers was helping her trust people again.
And now she was mine. I was a nervous dog owner. I had heard many nightmare stories from people who adopted rescue dogs, especially those who had been mistreated.
I remember taking her out for a run about a week after I got her. As a new dog owner, I was still clumsy in balancing the leash while trying to run. We had only made it about 1/4 a mile from my house when I dropped the leash. She turned around and took off at a sprint.
Great, I thought. I’ve already lost this dog.
I looked like a crazy person as I chased her down the street. A kind neighbor even tried to grab her but she was too fast. I thought she would run up into one of the neighborhoods or into the woods but instead, she ran straight back to my house and stood at the gate waiting for me. She knew that she was home.
Bell has changed my life. She gets me out on adventures. She gives me unconditional love. She makes me laugh. She’s a great companion.
I was able to find her because of an organization like Best Friends Animal Society, an organization committed to finding a home for every pet. They support local organizations that give pets a second life. At that time, I would not have been able to afford all of the medical treatments and working with a newly rescued dog would have been overwhelming.
When you purchase any of our pet pillows, we give $5.00 of each purchase to Best Friends. It may not seem like a lot, but it adds up. It gives dogs just like Bell a chance at a new home and it gives owners like me a new chance to love.
