Isabel, One of Two Lab/Whippet rescue Dogs From Tennessee (part 4, He Said)

“My girlfriend and I live pretty hectic lives and it’s easy after a week of work to veg out at home and relax, but having a dog has given us a reason to get out of the city more often.

We like to get out to the woods, (which is our roots), and the beach.

On Monday, we went to the beach with Isabel and I threw a frisbee into the ocean.

She is usually tentative around the ocean, but this time, she dove head on into the water and body surfed a wave back to shore.

It was beautiful to see.

Having Isabel has allowed me to reassess my time and goals.

It’s easy to get caught up doing my work, which is indoors.

I’ve realized how much we value our time outside.

I realize that through Isabel.

Isabel, One of Two Lab/Whippet rescue Dogs From Tennessee (part 3, He Said)

“There were about 40 people waiting in the lot for their dogs to arrive.

After bringing Isabel home, I immediately thought we were lucky.

We wound up with a dog who was pretty responsive to house training.

She had accidents like any other dog, but she was quick to learn.

Since getting Isabel, I think I have risen to the challenge of becoming a responsible dog owner; by walking, feeding, training, and just being there for her.

This is a healthy stepping stone in my life.”

 

Teller, Ivy and Zoe, the Family of Bearded Collies (part 4)

“If you realize the strength and life force that you get from interacting with such unconditionally loving beings, the actual tasks of caring for them become menial.

Having dogs while in chronic pain, challenged my husband’s patience.

His tolerance and patience grew from being around such innocent, loving beings that just wanted to love him.

His personality has changed in that he has learned love and compassion towards not only them, but himself.”

Teller, Ivy, and Zoe, the family of Bearded Collies (part 3)

“They are two years old.

Teller was not happy at first.

It was a hard adjustment.

From early on, we knew we were not going to have three dogs on the bed.

Teller had the privilege of being the only one on the bed.

Two years later, we wake up with three dogs on the bed.

My husband has had serious health issues for the past 20 years.

He has had 18 surgeries on his back.

He also had a stroke right after we got Ivy and Zoe.

We looked at each other like we were insane because we had two puppies and a grown dog, and I didn’t have enough hands to take care of everything.”

Teller, Ivy, and Zoe, the Family of Bearded Collies (part 2)

“I said to my husband, it’s time.

So, we got Teller.

That was four years ago.

All of my kids moved out of the house and Teller was getting lonely and we played with the idea of getting another dog.

We called breeders to see who was having a litter.

Luckily, Teller’s breeder was having a litter and it was going to be her last, so we went to Buffalo (where she was located), right away.

We were surrounded by puppies.

We couldn’t decide between Ivy and Zoe, we got both of them.”

Penny, the Dachshund Mix From Rescue Dogs Rock (part 5, she said)

“No matter what kind of day we are having, at the end of the day, our pack will go to sleep in our den.

We originally thought we would have a no dog on the furniture policy, but Penny obliterated that quickly.

Now we all snuggle together on the bed.

Her favorite spot is between our faces on the bed.

I like to say, she is the statement, we are the parentheses.

We are hoping to get her in the Good Dog Foundation.

They train dogs and handlers to go into hospitals and other care facilities to bring companionship and joy to people having a hard time.

Penny is great with kids, so we would like to focus on having her become a service dog for pediatrics.”

Smoky, The Shepherd Mix Rescue Found Wandering the Smokey Mountains (part 1)

“I actually found Smoky in the Smoky Mountains.

He was walking at dusk on a road with a mountain on one side and a cliff on the other, so there was nowhere for him to walk but on the road.

I thought he was a dog who was lost, but he didn’t have any tags.

He had a pinch collar that had grown into his neck.

It was night time so we brought him back to our cabin and he slept the whole night.”

Barcley, the Irish Terrier that keeps life light and appreciates the little things (part 3)

“I was lucky because someone backed out and I got Barcley.

Since having Barcley, I went through a job change.

I went from having a structured schedule to a more flexible one.

Barcley has been a great distraction.

He gets me out into the neighborhood and helps me connect with people I would never have met before, when I had a rigid work schedule.”

 

Barcley, the Irish Terrier that keeps life light and appreciates the little things (part 2)

“The matchmaker asked tons of questions.

They are very protective of the breed.

She matched me to a man in Philly and a woman in New Hampshire.

We met the breeder in Philly before the puppies were born.

The mom-to-be was about to have an ultrasound the next day and he found out she was having fewer puppies than he originally thought.

I went on a waiting list.”

Barcley, the Irish Terrier that keeps life light and appreciates the little things (part 1)

“I met a therapy dog at the Meet the Breeds Dog Show at the Javits Center, and she was an Irish Terrier.

She was so lovely and different from other dogs I had seen.

The Irish Terriers have a bit of a different look.

They have a beard, are scruffy, yet elegant and a perfect size.

I started doing a lot of research online.

The breed club has a matchmaker.

She spoke with me on the phone and made a match.”