The hosts of the
No Ordinary Blog Hop are highlighting an important issue on the hop page this month that I would like to tell you about.
August 20th is International Homeless Animals' day. All over the world animals are being abandoned.
The reasons vary of course as to why someone would no longer be able to or want to care for their pet. However, the fact remains that through no fault of their own, many pets find themselves homeless, either left to fend for themselves on the streets or left in shelters.
This issue is something that is very near to my heart.
We adopted our dog Hooch from the Cumberland County SPCA in 2006. He was found by animal control wandering in the street and taken to the animal shelter. No one came to claim him and after two weeks he was available for adoption.
We fell in love with him right away. His coat was dry, his skin was flaky, his head looked enormous due to his underweight body, he passed gas like nobody's business, and wasn't quite house trained. But he was perfect to us. The SPCA conducted an assessment and thought that he would make an excellent pet for a family with young children.
He's been a wonderful addition to our family. His skin and coat improved immensely after the stress of the shelter was over and he started a healthy diet. We took him to obedience class and he's house trained now. He put on about twenty five pounds. He still passes gas like nobody's business but hey nobody's perfect. I wonder all the time about the person who let such a great dog get away but I'm thankful that we found him. I'm thankful for the Cumberland County SPCA and all the hard work they do. We've started a new tradition in our family.
Every year for Hooch's gotcha day we make a donation to the Cumberland County SPCA. I hope that it helps the other animals in the shelter find forever homes where they can be loved and taken care.
 |
| Here's Hooch and Ms. Q a few weeks after we adopted him |
 |
| Here he is enjoying his first Christmas with us |
 |
| This is Hooch today - a bit older and grayer :) |
 |
| Enjoying an old man nap on the couch while we were camping |
If you can, why not take the time to volunteer at your local animal shelter or make a donation. A little can go a long way for an animal in need.
6 comments:
Thank you for posting about our giveaway. This is such a wonderful story, and Hooch is a very lucky pooch. 8)
It's a great way to celebrate every year by making a donation. They are in such desperate need to help so many animals.
Lynda,
Thank you and the other ladies for focusing on this issue. Many of the animals left in shelters face such a terrible fate with only the lucky few finding loving homes. I hope your giveaway and the posts related to it will help to show others the difficult work involved in taking care of animals in a shelter and that shelter animals can be wonderful pets.
What a great story about your dog Hooch. So glad you found him and he now has his forever home:) When we get back to the states we plan on adopting a dog too. Thanks for linking up tot he NOBH
We love our "shelter dogs" too!
Our oldest dog also has the gas issue. There is nothing we seem to be able do about, but boy can he clear a room!
Our newest addition was a "test" dog at a lab (not sure what they tested on him). He is a sweetie. No matter what they used him for, the people at the lab must have been good to him because he is a wonderful pet- his only adjustments came from trying to figure out how to act like a dog. Grass terrified him at first!
Fun reading your "Homeless Animal" post.
Lori,
Thank you for your comments. I hope your newest addition is doing well with his transition! I'm sure with a loving family he'll do great!
Aw, Hooch is adorable. Our Yorkie was a rescue from a puppy mill, and she is so incredibly wonderful. I posted about her at my blog (well, and my cat too actually!) Glad I found your blog.
Post a Comment