Lucky Pooch

Ok, this post is a bit off-topic (aka: not Pooches specific, but still about pooches!), but let me just warn you here and now--that's going to happen a lot!

Yesterday, Jim and I got up early on a Sunday morning to drive to Fayetteville, Arkansas. Sunday drive? Not really, though it was pretty and we did buy fresh corn on the roadside. The purpose of the drive was a beautiful little Dalmatian girl in the shelter there and she needed to get out! We, along with my partner in Pooches, Lawanna, have been active in Dalmatian Rescue for years. In fact, I am a founding member of the Dalmatian Assistance League, Inc. (1989) and Lawanna and Jim came onboard soon thereafter. Over the years we have had hundreds and hundreds of Dalmatians (and a variety of other breeds!) pass through our care, yet each one still manages to be special.

This girl is no exception. She's very pretty and oh-so-sweet. A bit nervous at first, she quickly decided that leaving the shelter with us was a good thing and settled into the car nicely. We shared treats with her, assured her that this was to be one of the best days of her young life and headed back to Tulsa. Quick kudos to the Fayetteville animal shelter are in order here--for a $50 adoption fee, our dog was spayed, given shots, checked for heartworm, wormed for intestinal parasites AND microchipped. SUCH a deal! They said that every dog that leaves the shelter is microchipped whether being adopted or reunited with an owner. Brilliant!

Anyhow, our new little foster dog earned the name Faye (yes, Fayetteville...not a huge stretch, but it seems to fit!). We brought her into our very doggy home and placed her in a run so the other dogs could sniff and get to know her through the fence before we turned her loose. We always like to see how a new dog reacts from a crate or fenced area first to avoid any potential conflicts since we have a rather HUGE number of dogs living with us.

With everyone minding their manners nicely, Faye made the leap into the masses that make up our furry family and all is going very well. What I have found out about Faye is that she doesn't seem to know how to play. She WANTS to join in when the younger dogs start running and wrestling, but she's just not sure how to go about it. She also has no clue about toys. She showed interest in one, but when I picked it up and tossed it for her, it scared her to death. Oops! I think with a bit of time and the excellent examples my dogs set (toy killers that they are), she'll likely learn the ropes. She does startle a bit from time to time, but remains sweet and without a mean bone in her body. She will make a lovely companion for someone as soon as the right someone surfaces.

So how does a lovely girl like Faye end up in a shelter? It's a question I have asked time and again throughout my years as a rescuer. How did Faye get lost? How did someone decide she wasn't worth finding? Why do simple dog activities confuse her? Why does she startle over little movements Jim or I make? These are questions that will never be answered. That's the norm for rescue.

What I do know is this...Faye is darling. She is standing with her head resting on leg as I type this. I also know that Faye is going to have a very good life from now on. We will see to that. Faye is going to become one of the lucky dogs...like the great dogs who come to play at Pooches every single day. One glance through the play rings and you see nothing but dogs who are dearly loved and cherished by their families. And hey, many of those dogs were once rescues too, plucked out of shelters or adopted from rescue groups. So take heart, sweet Faye and all the others like her, happiness may be just an adoption application away!