My Mission This Week/Adopt a Shelter Pet

[wlaldridge]

I had a mission set for me this week. Go to the shelter each morning to see if a certain female red dachshund mix dog had been moved from the stray pens to adoption. My wife wants a small lap dog. Elsie Mae our 55 pound Bassett does not qualify, even though she thinks she is the perfect lap dog, especially during thunderstorms.

Well yesterday my mission was acomplished and Sandee (as we will call her) who was the most timid and skittish dog I ever saw, moved.. I adopted her on the spot and took her to our vet. She had been seriously mistreated, has sores, mites, etc. We will get her back in shape.

Now, after less than an hour in our house she is frisking about, playing ball and acting like a new puppy. She appears to be between a year and two old.

Anyway, the reason for this story is not just ot advertise shelter pets but to tell everyone about a new benefit to a clicking mechanical heart valve.

You all know about putting a clock in the bed with a new puppy so it does not feel alone and suffer separation anxiety, right. WELL LET ME TELL YOU, my new St. Jude soothes this little puppy just as well. She sat on my lap this morning and every time she faced my chest she pricked up her ears to the sound of my clicker. What a hoot.

So meet Sandee:

 

[wlaldridge]

And here she is again:

 

[Granbonny]

Sandee should be so lucky

Sandee should be so lucky

Bill. You big old Teddy Bear..What a wonderful thing to do..and what a lucky little dog Sandee is..to have such a wonderful Daddy. I just came in from a long walk with mine..Felt a little uptight when I left..but after a good brisk stroll thru the walking path at our community center..feel all unwinded..so they have a multiple purpose..They give us love and exercise.

 

[Mara]

Bill-
You rock! You're my official nominee for coolest person on VR.com

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Animals are people too

Animals are people too

Bill, this is great. At one time I had 4 adopted cats in the house, so I know what a great feeling this can be. I never thought about the cats hearing the valve, but one of them sleeps with me now (after being "valved"). He wouldn't come near me before, so maybe he hears it too.

Give Sandee a scratch on her tummy for me

 

[Perrster]

Thanks Bill

Thanks Bill

Animal shelters like the one you got Sandee from can use all the help they can get especially with adoptions. It sounds like Sandee is adapting to her new home quite well.

I do some volunteer work for a wonderful pet rescue operation in Northern Illinois called Save-A-Pet. If pets could only talk!
http://www.save-a-pet-il.org/

Thanks again Bill......for Sandee.

My Avatar shows our Lhaso Apso "Gyzmo" in my lap. She was from a puppy factory and her older sister "Biscuits" is from Orphans of the Storm, another Northern Illinois Shelter.

Cheers!

 

[hensylee]

What a little beauty she is - how lucky they (and we) are when they find someone to love. I had to chuckle about the ticker - that's kewl. Enjoy, enjoy and soon she will be over the abuse and neglect. We are proud of you, Bill. God bless

 

[tlhudson]

wonderful therapy - pets

wonderful therapy - pets

Wow wlaldridge...what a neat idea !! Ter and I had a black lab and a blonde lab...lost one to cancer and the other to an anurisum (sp ?) Took us 7 years to finally take in another dog.
Wasn't from a shelter but a guy I work with. Golden retriever that was locked up in a cage all day. I would ask this fellow don't you need to go home and take care of "Memphis ?" His reply always was..."oh he's ok, he's in his cage." Well needless to say I couldn't stand for that. We "adopted" Memphis 9 months ago and it's the best thing that has happened for Memphie and us too !! Memphis is a fixed male and the neighbors have a fixed female "mutt" and you would think that those dogs really were a "couple." It's just too cute how they interact with each other, it's almost a shame that they couldn't have had pups !! Memphie is such the protector for Ter. It's just amazing how he'll get me up in the night for Ter , whether it's for a cup or water or the bathroom etc...and Perry A - you're right about if pets could talk !
Wouldn't it just be a hoot as to what "they could tell us ?" I belong to the Humane Society and the Animal Shelter but just not enough being done....the animals are always here for us, I just wish we could be there more for them !! God Bless you all !!
Chris E.

 

[Sagebrush]

Bill,
She is sooooo cute. I have the same disease too, I can't help but take all animals in and that is why I have 4 cats now. The latest one is a 7 or 8 year old belanese(spelling??) and boy what a personaliy she has. Congrats on you new addition.
FAYE

 

[Nancy]

Hi Bill-

We're animal lovers too. All of our cats were from the shelter. Sandee is adorable. I'm sure she's so happy in her new home.

 

[joy]

WE always go to the shelter to look at dogs. Unfortunatly we can't have a dog where we live, but my husband has orientation on wed the 11th to volunteer to be a dog walker at the kitsap county humane society. How cool is that? He wants a dog so bad, but I don't like indoor animals and we can't have a dog in our upstairs apartment. Maybe when we buy a house we will get a dog and have a nice big yard so it can run around and have a nice dog house outside.

 

[ALCapshaw]

BLESS YOU BILL !

She looks like a real sweetheart. Lap dogs are a special comfort.

Living in the country, I've adopted several 'walk on's' and / or dogs from people who could no longer keep them, maxing out at 4. I'm down to 2 older dogs now who seem to be enjoying no longer having to compete for attention. I'm a BIG believer that dogs do better if they have another dog companion. A couple of neighbor's single dogs always seem to end up in my yard or run over to welcome me home whenever I pull into my driveway.

'AL'

 

[cookie]

Wow, what a cutie patootie! I love animals! We have 2 kitties & 3 doggies. I must have a sign in my front yard that says all strays welcome. They are nothing but unconditional love! I, too, wish they could talk! My 3 dogs are females and what a group. Where one goes the others follow. Couldn't imagine my life without animals in it!

 

[Gnusgal]

Another clicking bonus...

Another clicking bonus...

Babies! I went to see my 2 month old niece last weekend, and EVERY time I held her she went right to sleep. No one else, just me. While it's great that my ticking (that's what I assume it was) puts her to sleep, I sure would have liked to look into those beautiful eyes while I held her once in awhile. I think I may have become the official "get-Caroline-to-sleep" relative. It worked especially well when she laid on my chest. (I wanna go back and see her some more!!! She's so adorable!)

BTW- This is the one I told you guys about two months ago who isn't even supposed to be born yet! She's doing very well, at home now. She's a little miracle.

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Bill

You have done one of the very best things a person could do, in book!!!! As a breeder of springers, I HATE people who abuse animals and then throw them away to a pound or worse just let them go when they're tired of them. I truly do believe those people should rot in hell!!! If a person isn't willing to make a 10-15 year commitment, then DON'T GET A DOG! And as far as breeders go, if a breeder isn't willing to take a dog back for ANY reason it doesn't work out, they should rot in hell, too. Any puppy of mine that doesn't work out MUST come back to me. If I can place him/her, I will, if not I will keep them...that's what a responsible breeder does, period.

YOU AND YOUR WIFE, MY FRIEND, TRULY ARE ANGELS! There are so very many throw-away pets who have to be euthanized it's sacreligious! You have gone above and beyond, in my book and I not only respect you, but admire your tenacity for going down to the shelter each day. You will definitely be rewarded for your compassion and love. Animals only want to love you and be loved in return. They return it a million times over and are true soulmates. I wish many many years of happiness and fun with "Miss Sandee. My best friend rescues doxies, and if you would like to get on the doxie lovers web sites, just let me know and I'll get you all the info.

Pat yourself on the back, Bill, you truly deserve it!

Evelyn

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi bill!
that is so nice. sandee is just adorable!
we are also animal lovers, have a 2 yr old golden and a 10 month old mini poodle .
joey always kids me and says that i'm prepping for when both girls are out of thehouse!

today we're having a playdate with our niece's pug. our niece is a photographer for the new york times mag. section and travels a lot. she wants to see if her bebe will get along with our sophie and lily so she can leave her with us next week and at other times_ the more the merrier!!!

about blood pressure reduction, i've heard that before. that's why they have so many programs that involve volunteers taking their pets to nursing and retirement homes to visit the clients there.

anyway, enjoy that cute little sandee.
hope you're feeling well, sylvia

 

[valdridge]

Hi,

This is Vince, Bill's son...

He sent me here to see the pics of Sandee. I was with my parents last week when we first saw this little dog, and she really was timid. Scared. And I don't blame her, being stuck in that cold, damp, caged area. I tried to get her to come up to the door so I could scratch her ears, but she just didn't have it in her. She went to the back of the run and just cowered.....

I remember thinking that this dog just needs a friend, and she's found one in my dad (and my mom, too)!

"Happiness is a Warm Puppy"
-Charles Schultz

 

[mamsram]

evelyn

Hi, I see a beautiful english springer spaniel in your photo. Since this is about pets, I would like to mention mine.
He was an ( eng.s.s. ) I learned to dislike one thing that I found out about dogs and was very disgusted by it, that is, their short life-span.
this dog was so good with the children ,was so playful,and loving that he was like a member of the family. when the vet said it was his time, I was floored. His time! he isnt even twenty years old yet! Then I found out about their life-span.
My daughter used to sit on his back, grab his ears and rev him up, he was her motorcycle. He loved running after the kids when they played in the snow. In the summer he was always at the wood pile trying to get at the mice. He was a big part of the family. It was terrible to lose him.
"patches" left us with many good memories that we all cherish.
HE WAS OUR FAMILY DOG..

 

[LUVMyBirman]

How wonderful. You did a great justice for that little dog.

And Perry....I had no idea you volunteer at save-a-pet. We were there today with Kara on our way home from Lake Geneva. Our second trip this month. We were visiting with the kittens Though, it just broke my heart at the number of adult cats that need a home. I think we mentioned our troubles with the Jack Russell and his aggression. I feel since we had no choice for the safety of others to give him up.....we can somehow reverse the circle and adopt a pet in need.

 

[hensylee]

Gina - that's so nice that you are taking your baby girl to visit the animals who are shut-ins. I used to take mine when they were little - as an afternoon outing. We would pet and hold, and from that they have a tremendous capacity to love animals and each daughter has 3 and son has one. The only thing, we wanted to take all the animals home.

Isn't is something how these threads trigger memories that brought us joy.

And Vince, welcome to the site - your dad is super.