As I have been fostering dogs I have also been looking at several websites and seeing how many dogs there are that are in need of homes... Some of the dogs have faces that make me melt. There was one dog that I saw named Leighanne that was in New Hampshire. She reminded me of Mandy, my grandparents' dog, from when I was a kid... and she was a german shepherd and a rottweiler mix. She was appealing to me because she was a medium sized dog, the mix of breeds, and she looked so loving... so I reached out to the rescue group and inquired about her. She already had a family that had started the adoption process for her... but they interviewed me to see what kind of dog I would be interested in, what my life is like, and what activities I would want to do with a dog.
They told me if they found another dog that they thought was a match. The next day I got an email from them telling me that they had come across a dog that they thought would be a good match for me. They said they never get descriptions of dogs that mention liking the water...but on that day they had gotten a dog that LOVED water... She was similar in size to the other dog and looked to be a real sweetheart... and they sent me this picture and asked if I was interested noting she wasn't yet listed on their site because they thought she and I were meant to be!
Look at that face!!
They said she was an Australian shepherd mix...9 months old...and Look at that face!!!
I asked if she was cat tested because that is crucial for me in getting a dog... and they said they would find out... I said if she was good with cats I would be very interested...
So... they found out that Leia (a name I will change because I am not a star wars fan...) was cat tested and she passed. Yahoo!!! So they asked if I wanted to meet her and if it was a match I could bring her home by the end of the month... I was very excited and nervous! (What if she didn't like me?!)
So I drove about an hour to NH over narrow and icy roads (gps took me on side roads I will not drive on again in the winter!) and when I got to the house I knocked on the door and when it was opened I saw an army of dogs... including two huge great danes! But in between those huge dogs was Leia... I thought it was her but she was MUCH fluffier than she looked in her photo... but she, through the pack of 2 great danes, a basset/beagle mix, a coon hound, and a couple of other dogs, got to me and gently put her front paws up on me and leaned into me and let me give her some love for a few minutes! Oh my goodness... she was cute!
She looked a bit bigger than I had expected, but she is a sweetheart. The foster mom kept all the other dogs inside while we went out on the back deck with Leia. She knows how to sit... and with some encouragement can lay down... and comes when she is called... and she loves to be brushed... which is a good thing with that coat!!
We went through the paperwork the foster mom had been given... didn't share much... just that she had been listed on craigslist... (please people, do not put your pets on craigslist!) and had been somehow put in a shelter in Massachusetts... from there she would be coming into the rescue group with whom I had been in contact. They somehow knew that she was crated a lot and she does not do well in a crate now... which is something I hope to work on... slowly... fortunately my house is set up in a way in which I can let her be in a few rooms where she should be okay when I am at work... Apparently the people who put her on craigslist said they were not ready for a puppy... so that's why they had crated her so much... yet she is so friendly!
The foster mom went inside and let us have some time alone... I brushed her a bit more and she ended up laying on my lap and leaning into me. So sweet... she was very interested in the other dogs that were in the house and in the yard, but would come back to me when I called her... She seems like such a sweet dog... the foster mom hasn't heard her barking except when there were strangers in the yard... she is playful with other dogs and submits when the other dogs put her in her place...
So... I have decided to bring her home... I have a lot to learn about her and she has a lot to learn about me... but I hope we become great friends...
This is a photo of us from Sunday! More photos to come! Stay tuned!
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