My Rescue...

When we chose Titus he was an adorable teddy bear of a pup with a fondness for Kleenex and a long snuggle. When I saw Logan's picture she was a beautiful, energetic, terror at 4 weeks old, crawling over her brothers and sisters, nibbling their ears and stealing toys. When we saw Mercy in the pound kennel she was curled up in a tiny 3 lb. ball of scraggly fur and was quick to growl at anyone who approached. My heart broke for her and even Paul agreed that we needed to try and give this pathetic girl a spot in our pack and a fresh chance; so we brought her home with two bottles of medication and hopeful ambitions at restoring her to some form of doggy contentment. She was my very first rescue, hopefully not my last. Mercy has simply transformed! She hops into people's laps when they enter our home, as opposed to running, biting or growling. She often invites Lillian to play with a bow or rolling under her. Mercy was even house-trained within a month! Recently Mercy and I have entered our first agility class and she is doing wonderfully! The first class she shivered through the entire hour and jumped at every bark, squeak, and sniff and wouldn't leave my side for anything. Six weeks later, she can do several obstacles in sequence, allows the trainer to hold her leash, and even attempted sniffing another dog in our last class! I say all this to encourage those who are considering getting a family pet to give extra thought to rescue animals. They often start out with 'issues' but the majority of those can be conditioned away and you are left with an amazing, devoted animal. Rescue animals respond to gentle care and a consistent pack so do a little research and pick one that would fit well with your family and lifestyle. Please don't discount them simply because they are a 'used' product!