In May we decided to bring another dog into our home.
We are huge fans of rescue animals and knew this was the way we would adopt our new family member. On May 12 I found a picture of a scruffy-faced angel who was being moved from a pound to a shelter. The photo tugged at the heartstrings, and the caption noted that this little girl had been within a day or so of being put down.
I was horrified! I asked my beloved if he might want a new dog for his birthday, which just happened to be May 12. Being the eternal good sport, he agreed that saving a four-legged life trumped eating at Outback with our whole family … at least this once.
We gathered the wild Indians and headed to Columbus, where our “little” puff ball was waiting. I called the shelter to get more information on her. They told me she was about 10 months old, she was a little underweight and she had just returned from the vet, where she had gotten all her shots and the necessary “surgery” to make her shelter approved to be adopted. They knew that her former name was “Minnie,” and she was a house dog that had been turned out into the yard for some reason.
They assured me she was house-trained and a little lady.
Now, we already have a dog who just about has us trained. She is the “alpha” dog, and I believe she thought she was the “omega” too. She is small, about 13 pounds, but she would fight anything to protect me. The saying, “She may be small, but she’s fierce” definitely applies.
We were thinking another little dog, weighing 17 pounds, would be a perfect playmate for our little diva.
When we got to the shelter, Minnie came out on a leash pulling and sliding on the floor. She was, of course, terrified of us, and when I saw her long legs and huge feet, I shared the emotion. This was no “mini” dog. The shelter worker said, “She needs to gain a few pounds.” She had been shaved and was just about as ugly as a dog could be.
It was at least “like” at first sight. She was as bony a thing as I had ever seen. But, if there is one thing I do well, it is feed. I knew she would fill out, and boy has she filled out.
We discovered when her fur started to grow back that she is most likely a Labradoodle. I was thrilled at this news because I have wanted one of those dogs for years. They are considered “designer dogs” and are usually quite expensive. Who would have thought I’d find one in a shelter?
Our little dog now has a friend, who pretty much uses her as a chew toy. They run and play and both sleep on the foot of my bed. We changed Minnie’s name to Ella. She now weighs 43 pounds and has us trained. She is not little, but she is fiercely in love with her new family. I’d say the feeling is mutual.
Angie Brown is a humorist who loves being a wife, mother and grandmother. She lives in Opelika with her husband of 31 years and four of their seven children.