How Did You Get Your Dog(s)?

Mocha came from a BYB since I was an idiot and didn't do enough research.  She got extremely sick just three days after we bought her and we almost lost her, so I like to think that maybe it was meant to be.  Really though, the truth is just that I was an idiot, but I love her!

Thankfully I did more research when we decided to get a second dog.  I really wanted a rescue but all the small dogs here would get adopted very quickly, so we got her from Las Vegas.  Her owner had died, she had been passed around, and nobody wanted to deal with her so she was going to be taken to the shelter.  She came up to Canada with a family friend, and thankfully she managed to arrive just after a snowstorm - the poor girl didn't know what all the white stuff was and where she was supposed to pee!

With Cannelle, we weren't actually looking for a third dog.  A rescue we foster for put us in touch with another rescue who needed a foster home for another dog for a day.  A week later, they called and told us about Cannelle and asked us if we would take her.  We asked how long we would foster her for, and they said they meant to adopt...well, how could we say no?  She had been severely abused, taken to the vet's to be euthanized, taken home by someone at the vet's office, attacked by four large dogs the first night, and almost lost her life.  She was only 8-months-old when we adopted her and had already been through so much, but she's come so far and is such a sweet little girl!

Billy the 'Venturin english cocker spanYELL -- we got him thru a rescue group, but he'd actually been found at a rest area off I-4 -- his ears were swelled shut when we got him.  We thought he was deaf and that's the ONLY reason we took him.  We'd already had an English cocker who had to have bi-lateral ear ablations and he seemed like a sweet dog and we knew we'd do whatever it took to save him/his ears OR we would be fine with a deaf dog.  But the truth is, it was Foxy the Mostlie Sheltie who 'picked' him.  Absolutely -- we got there and Billy was a buffy cocker and he was too much "like" one we'd just lost and we would have decided no, but Foxy just sat in front of him and didn't budge.  HE WANTED THIS DOG.  Foxy has since gone to Rainbow Bridge but I have my awesome little Aventurin spanYELL (Billy thinks that's funny!)
 
Luna the Inta Everthin Bagle (basset/beagle mix) -- we found her on Petfinder from a far better rescue group than we got Billy from -- As it turned out Billy had been abused in foster care before we got him and he just plain doesn't enjoy a good deal of pet therapy with large groups of kids (he has his own thing he enjoys with developementally  disabled kids) with *little blonde girls* (that was apparently the little witch who hurt him so badly and we're 2 1/2 years into desensitizing THAT).  But Luna LOVES kids and she LOVES other dogs.  She belonged to a lady who apparently just couldn't handle a young headstrong hound and Luna virtually lived at doggie daycare (7 days a week every hour they were open).  All it took was a bit of training and maturity.  She's a sweetheart but she countersurfs on an Olympic level.
 
Miss Kee Shu *sigh* her owner was the brother of one of my bag boys at Publix.  Unfortunately he had a sobriety problem and just couldn't keep a roof over his head and he was trying to sleep in his car with Kee because his parent's condo didn't allow dogs (this wasn't a young man -- like he was about 45).  THAT freaked the neighbors out and they called animal control and the first time he left her for an instant they confiscated her (Florida law about dogs not being in cars unattended).  The only way they'd let him redeem her was if he found a PLACE for her to live indoors.  so I got involved -- we pretty much had a feeling he wouldn't make a go of it, so we took her intending to keep her or place her.  She fit right in, she LOVES pet therapy (she's a peke and she absolutely ***loves*** babies!! So she's a big hit at Give Kids the World). 
 
All cast offs that for some reason 'needed' us.  And that suits me just fine!

I love telling this story, because its kind of one of the "I win" stories I can tell...
 
My wife and I had been talking about getting a dog for awhile.  I wanted a medium to big size dog, and she wanted a Dachshund.  We settled on looking for a Beagle.  My wife and I went to the HS and found a Beagle that we liked, but we were required to have the kids with us to meet him.  We raced home and grabbed the kids and ran back to the HS, only to find that we missed the Beagle by a few minutes.  Once that drama was over I said we would go back Sunday morning and wait for the doors to open.  We got there about 15 minutes early, and when they let us in we went straight for registration and then to look for a dog.  My wife fell in love right away with a GSD/Golden mix (who was named Shakespeare by the HS) and his brother "Dickens"  We went in to meet the pups and someone already had their eye on one of them.  My wife said she wanted either of them.  I warned her that he wasnt going to stay that small forever and she was fine with that.  I think I broke some smile muscles that day because I knew, Shakespeare was the dog I wanted.  An hour later we brought him home, and 2 years later he is still my dog.
 
A few months after we got Shakespeare, my wife was in a Dachshund mood again.  I was at work and randomly searched for one in the paper.  I found an ad for a Daschund/Schnauzer mix.  I was on break and casually mentioned the ad to my wife.  She shreiked and wanted to know more about it.  I gave her the phone number to call and the OK to get it, as long as it would get along with Shakespeare.  2 hours later my wife comes into Home Depot (my p/t job) with this little thing that could fit all 4 paws on my hand.  It was New Years Eve, so we say that the whole world celebrates Sophias "gotchya day" they call it New Years Eve
 
Sophia and Shakespeare have been best friends ever since.
 
The cutest part of this story is, less than a month before we got Shakespeare, my parents took my family to Disney for vacation.  One night my mom let my wife and I go out on our own and they took the kids.  While my parents had the kids, my stepdad gave each kid a penny and told them to make a wish at one of the fountains in Magic Kingdom.  My mom told me that my stepdaughter wished for a dog, and my son (always trying to show his sister up) wished for 2 dogs.  I am (sort of) glad that it didnt start with 2 dogs (I only have 2 hands)

We actually had just completed the application process for a lab rescue, and had been approved as potential adopters.  So,  while we were waiting for the right dog to come along, one of our local humane societies was having a big "Dog Days of Summer" event, which was being attended by many local rescues, including the lab rescue.  We went for the sole purpose of visiting the people there from the lab rescue.  We also went in to see the dogs that were at the humane society that day.
 
We found the perfect (for us) dog at the humane society.  Actually, the dog picked us.  Other than he was a lab or lab mix, was nowhere close to the profile we had listed with the lab rescue.  We had planned on adopting a female, yellow lab, about 2 years old or so.  We ended up with a male, lab mix, that was 8 years old. 
 
The people from the lab rescue were wonderful, they were gracious enough to come look at the dog with us, to help us figure out if there was  anything we should be concerned about.  And, I can't say enough wonderful things about the humane society either. 
 
There is no doubt in my mind this dog would have made a wonderful pet for any family.  We feel fortunate that the timing was absolutely perfect that we were able to adopt him.

Even though this thread is for dogs, I feel like mentioning how we got Jade, our white North American Tabby Cat. A friend of ours lives in town. This is the friend that used to have a female lab that she had once thought of breeding. And of all the males she had seen, she wished for only Shadow to be the sire. We did not breed for all the right reasons that we know of, here. Eventually, she had to move to where she lives now and the landlord does not allow large breed dogs and the yard is unfenced. So, she gave her dog to friends who do have the right place. And they had her spayed, as should be. Anyway, our friend, who was once DW's boss at one of her part-time jobs, has an old cat. A new one started hanging around her house, sleeping under an old New Yorker that they no longer have. This little thing, about 4.5 to 5 weeks old, was living on the streets of our small town, sandwiched between U.S. 75 and Texas Hwy. 5. She was nothing but dirty matted fur and bones. Our friend's old cat would not allow this little one in the house. She immediately thought DW and me. Even though Shadow grew up around a Jack Russell Terrier and a tom cat, that doesn't always mean he will get along with every animal, though he had taken to playing with a neighbor's Calico cat that would get in our yard, sometimes. So, I walked Shadow over there, which would be fairly neutral territory. And he wanted to play with her, which is a good sign. So, I took Shadow back home and brought my company truck over. By that time, DW was home from her regular job and walked over. The kitten had been named Chi by our friends daughter. I plucked her out a tree in the front yard. And we took her home. And here's one of the pics I took as soon as we got home. If I had my wits about me, I would have taken a pic of her in the tree.
 
After a few messages here, we decided to rename her Jade, for her jade green eyes.

Tucker ,male chihuahua/?rat terrier? mix-We got him from a Byb, before we knew better, a few weeks after we lost our purebread Akc registered cocker spaniel at 12 1/2. my dad wanted something cheap and he called on an add advertising chihuahua/terrier mix pups for $200 so he called on it. The only chihuahua I had seen was Gizmo,the Taco Bell Dog so I wasn't too happy at first,thinking he was going to be a ugly,yappy ankle biter. He wasn't. We got lucky this time. He was well socilized,treated well, houstrained easily and he learned the rules around the house quickly.

Jasper, male chihuahua/dachshund mix-We were looking in the paper for an Akc chihuahua and come across some adds for $400,I"m ashamed to say,after trying to get another chihuahua from a terrible situation at the hands of a breeder unfortunatly it failed. But a teacher wanted to aqquire a dog,she had never had one as a child and is a nun so I was looking up the price of insurance for her and came across Jasper.. I believe fate form me too him. That night I convinced my parents to seal the deal,I put in an application and we called the next day. Lo and behold we set up a meeting Monday, Tucker and Jasper got along great and he came home with us. Evidently the shelter frequently brought in dogs from Georgia. His owner surrendered him because "she didn't have the time" . Anywho he came home to us with kennel cough and worms probably ocought from one of the 11 other dogs he was living with. 2 weeks later he was healthy and has been with us about a month now.

Tasha was a 12 week old stray. Because she was found middle of January, she may well have been a Christmas present that didn't work out.
 
Wolfgang was purchased from a homeless couple. He had a few health problems but what a wonderfully socialized six month old dog.
 
Floyd was four when he was adopted from a private rescuer.

Minnie (boston terrier) from a breeder here in Texas.
 
Little Anne (bloodhound) off of craigslist for $25.
 
Mickey (boston terrier) from a different breeder in Texas.
 
Ty (vizsla) off of craigslist for free.
 
Love every single one just the same!!!    []

Mine were a gift from my mom. She knows how much I love dogs.

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valerie07
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