About 5 years ago, my brother adopted a puppy from the ARFanage, an animal rescue group in Mobile. This little puppy came to the ARFanage after being abandoned on the side of a road when he was just a few weeks old. To this day, he suffers from separation anxiety and tends to frighten easily--no doubt residual effects of being abandoned, and maybe even abused, as a puppy. But from the moment this dog entered my family, he stole our hearts. He is a very loving and loyal dog.
When I made the decision to buy a house last year, I knew that I would get a dog as soon as I was settled in the house. In fact, one requirement during my house hunt was that the yard be fenced in so that the house would be dog-ready. Because my brother had such good luck with adopting his dog from a rescue organization, I decided that I would do the same. To me, it wouldn't feel right to buy a dog from a breeder when there are so many abandoned and homeless dogs out there who need good homes. Just a few weeks after moving into my house, I began looking at dogs listed on www.petfinder.com. I was hoping to find a small, young, female dog. I found a dog listed that met all of these requirements. This dog was at a rescue group in Mobile called Lauren's Zoo. I sent an email to express interest in this dog, only to find out that she had already been adopted. However, Lauren informed me of another dog that had recently come to her organization that I might be interested in. The dog was an 18-month-old male Havanese mix. She attached these pictures of the dog to the email:
How could you not love this face? However, for reasons that make absolutely no sense to me now, I really wanted a female dog. I assumed that a female dog would get along with my brother's dog much better than another male dog would. I emailed Lauren back and basically told her thanks but no thanks because I wanted a female dog. Thankfully, Lauren took the time to inquire as to why I was so set on a female dog. She assured me that dog aggression is more about personality than gender. It was very important to me that my new dog get along well with my brother's dog. Lauren understood this, and suggested that we let the two dogs have a "play date" during my next trip to Mobile. I agreed that this was a good idea. She brought Colby over to my parents' house, and as soon as Colby saw me he jumped into my arms. That was a good move on his part. I was already in love. At first, my brother's dog was not very receptive to Colby. But as the play date continued, he became more tolerable of him, and even began to play with him. We began to see a side of my brother's dog that we hadn't seen in a long time--a very playful side!
Colby seemed to be a perfect fit for me and my family. I left Mobile with Colby in my arms. He wasn't the female dog I had wanted, but I couldn't imagine it any other way.
Here's what I know about Colby's history. Colby's previous owners dropped him off at an animal shelter. It was probably a case of someone buying a cute little puppy and then realizing that they didn't have the time for it. Unfortunately, the shelter that Colby was at was a high-kill facility. If the dogs at this shelter are not claimed or adopted within five days, they are euthanized. Colby was on day 5, at death's door, when someone at the shelter noticed that Colby was a good, adoptable dog. Thankfully, someone at the shelter contacted Lauren's Zoo, and Lauren's Zoo took Colby in. And the rest is history!
After all of that worrying about how well Colby and my brother's dog would get along, they are now the best of friends:
Colby has settled into his new life with me as his owner very well. He is very much a lap dog, and loves to be pampered and spoiled. He also loves people. He thinks that anyone who comes to my house comes to see him, not me (which is probably true...). He has his playful moments, but for the most part he is a calm and well-behaved dog. He is the best little companion!
If you are ever planning on getting a dog, please consider adopting from a shelter or rescue group before going to a breeder. It worked out really well for me. There are so many abandoned dogs out there who need good homes!!!
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