Presenting the 11 Contestants for the Best Photo/Adoption Story Contest

As you probably can see I have added 11 adoption stories, most with a picutre. These eleven beautiful dogs are our contestants for the Best Photo/Adoption Story Contest. Please when you get a chance vote for one of these great dogs. Tell your friends so they can vote too. Some of these stories really will bring a smile to your face or maybe a tear to your eye but they are all really great.

The voting will be open until the 15th of January. The winner will receive a 100 dollar gift certificate to http://www.lucysdoghouse.net so they can pick up all of the things that they wanted for the holidays but didn't manage to get.

Do you have a dog that you think has a great photo and/or adoption story? If so let me know at hans@lucysdoghouse.net and you will be entered the next time we do one of these contests.

Brooklyn

When I would mention to people that I was moving to New York City with my Great Dane, Brooklyn, everyone's reaction was always the same. It was a mixture of disbelief and amusement that washed across their faces every time, as if to say "Good luck with that!"
It didn't phase me. I figured we had a whole city at our disposal and no strange looks were going to prevent me from facing the biggest move of my life with my greatest partner.

After the two and a half day drive I can't deny I was having second thoughts on my own judgment. Brooklyn was an angel in the car, riding like a pro in the back amongst everything else I had managed to cram into the SUV from my spacious Texas lifestyle, but I was beginning to believe I was a bit of a fool to think I'd have room for all of it.

As it turns out, I was kind of right. Having the crate was a joke. It took up half the living room. Had it been my decision I would have set one of the old recliners out on the street in favor of the crate, but I didn't think my two roommates would have gone for that. So to the basement it went as I told Brooklyn she would have to behave herself with out the confines of the crate. She has since taken over my bed as a substitute.

Fortunately she has adapted well to city life. She is somewhat of a local celebrity at the dog park where we visit almost every day. Everyone knows Brooklyn and her pink spiked collar. She has even met a few Dane boyfriends. Her favorite is a tall fawn Dane named Jake. He belongs to an equally tall Australian guy, and I believe its probably Jake's charming foreign accent that bought them together.


It's a short seven blocks from the apartment but even in that short distance we get the standard comments every Great Dane owner has come to accept and, in turn, ignore:


"You should put a saddle on that thing!"


"Nice pony!"


"That's a huge dog!" (Oh really? I was told she was a Chihuahua!)


However for the most part, she fascinates people. They stop to pet her. I field questions about owning a giant dog in the city while Brooklyn works her charm by looking up at them with those beautiful amber eyes and of course – leaning.

It's been a great comfort for me to have her here during this transitional period in my life. Even in a city of 8 million people it can be a lonely, anonymous existence if you're not careful. Having a dog forces you to get out, walk around, meet new people and explore your surroundings. I look forward to our days in the city where she goes with me on errands and she, in turn, enjoys the sights and smells of the city (especially hot dogs!) She waits in line with me at fed-ex or lays quietly at my feet while I enjoy a coffee or a glass of wine at the cafés in Little Italy.

I never forget to mention, when talking to people about her, that she is a rescue dog. She is a true individual in a city filled to the brim with tiny chihuahuas, yorkies and maltipoos in custom carriers. Brooklyn is not my accessory, she is my companion, and I look forward to all our adventures together.

*This story was originally written in 2005 to share in the GDRNT newsletter. Brooklyn has since passed away but her memory and impact on the lives of everyone she met during her all too short life lives on. She inspired myself and others to be passionate about rescue.

Nala

In May of 2006, we purchased (yes, purchased) our first puppy online
from a puppy mill. They shipped him to us, he arrived at the airport, and our
lives were changed forever. Herschel, our little Schnauzer mix
(Schnoodle to the less scrupulous), has taught us so much about canines, from
behavior and nutrition to breeding ethics and therapy. In fact, just over a
year after Herschel flew to us, we adopted Nala from the MidWest Border
Collie Rescue (MWBCR). During that year, I worked with several rescues (and
even fostered a cat-killing MinPin) while searching for our next forever
dog. I have fancied Border Collies for so long and I worked with the MWBCR for
the better part of a year trying to find the right one for our family.
Believe me, every person in that organization knows my name whether they've met
me or not. They've put me through heartache and also given me tears of
joy.

So, introducing Nala. (See attached photo) She came from kill shelter
in Oklahoma with 4 sisters. 2 of them had parvo, all of them had several
types of worms, coccidia, and were malnourished. After some TLC at her
foster home we picked her up on June 19th (who knew Iowa could be so pretty).

Barney

Barney’s Story

My name is Barney and this is my story to the best of my recollection. This is actually my third name and I’m planning to keep it. You see, this is the name given to me by my current and final family.

I started out in a home where they didn’t understand me. They took me out on a leash to potty and sometimes I couldn’t go just then and later I had accidents in the house. I wanted them to know I needed to be out more and have a yard to run in but they didn’t understand. They put me in a metal box and I stayed there most of the time. It was hard and my body hurt, but mostly I was lonely.
Then, one day this woman came to the house to check me out. She was a “rescue volunteer” and, I was to be moved to another home. I was scared. I didn’t like the metal box but it was all I knew.

The next day the woman came back and took me in her car. We drove very far and I was even more scared. She was nice to me and told me I was a good boy. I never heard those words before but they were happy words and I liked it.

I then went to what they call a foster home. My foster Mom was really great. She fed me a lot of food and hugged me a lot. She told me I was good .too.. Must be true.
A few weeks later I heard her talk to the woman that picked me up and said that I was falling down and they felt I had Wobblers Syndrome. Don’t know what that is but I quess you fall down a lot.. I think the other name for Wobbler’s Syndrome is expensive because I heard that word a lot.

A few days later we had a visitor. It was the woman who brought me to my foster home. She had her dog Olivia and she wanted to see if we got along. Rumor was she might adopt me. I tried to be nice to Olivia and I leaned on the woman a lot. They said I have cute eyes and I used them a lot that day. I didn’t know that I had already won her over two months before on the long car ride.


Anyway, I’m home. I have lots to eat and two big comfy beds. I get hugs all the time and sometimes I fall down but someone helps me up. The people here are still telling me that I am a good boy. I knew that all along.

Georgia

Georgia was found on the side of the road and couldn't even stand up. She was skinny, dehydrated, sick and had a previously broken leg that no one had taken the time to fix. I saw her picture on a Great Dane chat room and those eyes just melted my heart.... I knew I had to help her. I called the shelter and they said they had several rescues come to see her but none of them would take her, she would be too expensive to treat. Well, I arranged transport for her to SC and MAGDRL took this sweet girl in and got her the treatment she needed. Poor Georgia, still couldn't stand up on her own for very long and swayed from side to side when she walked, like she was drunk. We discovered that she had Wobblers, a very debilitating disease for these large dogs. The treatment was extremely expensive but through tremendous fundraising efforts we raised the money so she could have surgery. Georgia now has been treated and runs, well.... let's say trots, plays with my other dogs and even loves to go swimming. This girl melted my heart and the heart of another volunteer, Allyson with her determination to survive and her sweet, loving nature. In August we came to the realization that we could not bear the thought of her ever being adopted by someone else and us not being able to see her on a regular basis. We decided to both adopt her and share custody. This was also the only way both our husbands would agree since we both already have several rescues in our homes. We rotate her monthly and she is spoiled rotten! She never gives up and we have never given up on her. She goes to Meet and Greets and is our official ambassador for our Western NC chapter of MAGDRL.

The picture I sent in is from the day we brought her home from the shelter..... could you have said no to that face????

Hope

In July of 2006 the local ACO found a 3 month old puppy in Stratford.. She had a fractured pelvis and was going to be put down. My daughter, Christine is president of an animal rescue group STARS (Stratford Animal Rescue Service). The ACO contacted her and asked if they would be willing to care for the puppy. When she saw her she agreed to raise the money. The puppy was transported to a veterinarian who fused her bone and inserted 4 screws in a plate in her leg. She came to stay at our house to recuperate. We had just lost our 15 year old lab. Hope (as she came to be known) moved into our house and our hearts. She is the sweetest dog you can imagine.. Soon after we purchased a black lab named Cole. They are best friends. Hope has fully healed. She loves to run and play with Cole and the dogs at the dog park. People tell us how lucky she is to be in a good home. While we agree we believe that we are lucky to have her in our home. Thank you for letting me tell the story of Hope.

Sammy Bear

Last year around this same time I was at a job that was taking its mental, emotional and physical toll on me. I was suffering severe depression from the passing of my father, the inability to grieve and Grad school was weighing heavily on me. Needless to say, I was not completely checked into my marriage as you can imagine. Things just seemed to be spiraling out of control.
In order to begin to take control of my life, I quit my job. However, the new found freedom and relief also impacted my depression and the ability for treatment. My birthday being in December was around the corner and I was just knee deep in depression and finding it hard to get out of bed.
Well the weekend before my birthday my younger brother Richard brought me home a pug named Pugsley for my birthday. Well this pug that I impulsively named Lola won my heart in minutes. Lola was being turned over to a shelter due to the fact that her original owner lost his apartment and job and the fact he couldn’t care for her. My brother had remembered me saying that I wanted a little pug and thought they were adorable and immediately got her for me. Well his memory and this sweet Pug saved my life.
Lola made me get up out of bed and walk her. She gave me this feeling of love and companionship that I craved. She gave me this special feeling that not anyone could give me; because it had no agenda. There was no reason for it and yet it was… It was pure, unadulterated love and companionship and loyalty. I had no idea dogs fill your heart up with love and make life good and livable. Lola gave me purpose when the job, friends and marriage were lacking. Lola put me in touch with my body by walking her. Lola made me smile and laugh daily and want to treat her well and therefore walking became our thing and taking care of me became part of that equation. It became clear to me that I needed to be around in order to be there for my buddy.
I have lost twenty pounds since adopting Lola. I love my Job/Internship. I haven’t been depressed in along time since Lola and this month I decided I needed to do something special for my Lola. I adopted Samuel Bear, a male pug to be Lola’s companion. Sammy Bear was adopted from parents who loved him, but who had recently had an unplanned baby and work eighty hours a week.
Sammy is just a big teddy bear. He is a large pug with a heart of gold. He loves Lola and is already protective of her; if she barks he gets up and checks and where ever she goes, he’s nearby. They play tug of war, chase and fetch together. Sammy gives Lola the company I cannot, no matter how I try. I think this gift to her was a way of telling her, thank you my friend. I love you, you saved my life and I give you this brother so that you are never lonely and feel love in every way possible.
Last night I saw Lola and Sammy give each other what appeared as a kiss. Sam leaned his head into Lola’s back and cuddled them both to sleep. Seconds later there a wheeze and light snore coming from there bed. It filled my heart to see this and know that adopting is synonymous with filling up with “Love.” I am grateful this year to Lola Bella and Sammy Bear for adopting me as their mom and loving me and filling my life up with passion, vigor, laughter, and happiness.

Look at my babes below... aren’t they precious?

Bovie

This is a story about Bovie, the black lab mix that
was adopted in August. I am a recently graduated
veterinarian and finally had time for my own dog. i
applied to multiple rescue organizations and was told
that although I was a vet i did not have a fenced in
yard, did not own a home, and was not a stay at home
mom so i was not qualified for adoption. after about 4
months of applying and 8 rejections later i cam across
a rescue dog on line with an organization that my
hospital worked with. i applied and was FINALLY
approved. Bovie was so scared he sat in the corner of
the bathroom for 24 hours, wouldn't pee poop eat or
drink. we didn't know how to walk on a leash and
didn't know how to play. he cowered whne you went to
pet him and touching his head was a huge problem.now
he is a happy, still shy but curious puppy with a Mika
the kitten to keep him company. we are moving on the
shyness and now we wag the tail for female strangers
and any strangers with dogs. we love getting belly
rubs and my boyfriend and i now get full body wags
when we get home. he's been A LOT of work but a great
addition to our family.

Bert

I work at home, as a writer and an editor and am generally on line. One day, a friend sent me an e-mail with a photo of a big blond chow. He looked very dignified and serene. The friend told me that he was in a high kill "shelter" in la and begged me to help him.
Since I already had two rescued dogs and four rescued cats, our small household was at its animal capacity.
But I couldn't get the dog out of my mind and so I e-mailed a friend who lived in LA and asked her if she was interested. To my delight, she said she would take him. So I e-mailed the dog's advocate and told her the good news. She was thrilled and said she would have him pulled from the shelter immediately.
Once the dog was safe, she called and asked where the friend lived. I told her Slidell. "Slidell?" she responded, "where's that?" It's a little bit east of New Orleans, I said. Isn't that where the dog is?"
"Um, Rose," my friend said quietly, the dog is in la." "Yes, I know," I replied, "LA, what's the problem?"
"Rose, la, as in la, California."
As a writer and editor, I had taken her writing too literally and thought la meant Louisiana, not Los Angeles, California.
Obviously, the dog could not be sent back to the shelter, nor could I afford to ship him to LA. So Bert joined our household and I promised my husband that I would adopt him out and he would only be with us for a short time.
Unfortunately, what I took to be Bert's dignity, was actually extreme terror of people. To say he was shy is the understatement of the century. He was so fearful that at best, we caught mere glimpses of him as he did his best to hide from us. It was clear that he would be with us for more than a little while.
It's been 18 months now and Bert has finally responded to our patience and friendship. He is still quite shy but is an integral part of our household and is now a beloved "forever dog".

Chloe

We had been admiring our rescue president’s great dane and we decided that we wanted to adopt one if the rescue ever got a Dane in the rescue.

Several months past , one day the adoption coordinator called me and said we have to come over to her house. I walked downstairs to find this shy and scared big dog. That was Chloe. John arrived after me and fell in head in heals in love. WE took her home to evaluate her and then adopted her.

Chloe’s story (as I know it) - Chloe was taken to an animal shelter because she did not meet the “standards” of breed by the breeder. She has two VERY stunning blue eyes. NOT a desired trait for breeding or show ring. Chloe was adopted by a single mother and her children. They lived in a small older style mobile trailer home. At 1 year of age Chloe was too big for the house and took too much work for the lady to take care of and she was trying to get rid of her.



Chloe’s life now- Chloe has learned the dog sport of Flyball & completed obedience school. She enjoys going on vacation and staying in a hotel rooms during her trip to Greyhounds reach the beach with her sisters and Big “little” yorkie brother and about 1500 other greyhounds. This picture was taken on the beach at this event.

Jig

On a stormy night on the Oregon Coast I received a call from a woman who's daughter had found a dog on a 'field island'. According to the woman, "She must have been surviving on dirt and worms. I cannot keep her, I can't get close to her, I am disabled, can you help?"



Later that night, I met 'Jig'. She was plastered against the wall, terrified. With the coaxing of my dog Mick, I saw a sparkle in her eye, saying she wanted to play-but would still not come out. I finally looped a leash around her, and dragged her into the car.



Arriving at the vets office, I realized 'Jig' was a mess...at least 20 sores from untreated tick infestation donned her underside and flanks, she was rail thin, and undersocialized. She also had two broken and abcessed teeth. ..and Mick LOVED her.



I found out later, that Jig was a junkyard dog...choke chained to a fencpost 24/7, with a lean-to board as her only protection from the weather. A never-ever' dog. Never been in a house, never been to the vet, never had the love of a family, never been someone’s friend.



Now, Jig is not only Mick's girl, but my loving companion, my agility dog, and my protector while I travel.. She is the best girl in the world...and is now a 'for-ever' dog. Forever in the house, forever in our family, and forever...my friend.

Jammer

So, what does the County shelter do with an unruly dog? Call in the reinforecements! Such was the call I received one Monday morning, "Hi Liz, we have a dog for you!" I answered, "But you're closed today." "Yes, but you can come out anyway--how about NOW?"

An hour later, as I rounded the corner at the shelter, I was met by a VERY loud barking snarling dog. "Whew, that's NOT him, I said to my friend"...but right next door, in unison of the same nasty chorus, was Jammer. "NO WAY!!" I told the shelter manager! She coaxed me into taking him out, and seeing he was quite harmless. Well, kind of. I took him.

3 years and LOTS of training later, the 'unadoptable' Jammer is a Master level agility dog, a friend to my other two dogs, and a snuggle bunny next to me at night. He is loved, and returns the love daily.

Amenities for cats, dogs

By Michael Martinez
Mercury News
Article Launched: 12/16/2007 01:53:13 AM PST

Related Stories
Dec 16:
South Bay hotels that welcome petsThe pampered guestWith so many hotels accepting pets, it's no surprise that travelers are including the family dog - and sometimes cat - on their vacations. Here's a sampling of what some California hotels and B&Bs are offering to entice pet owners (always ask about size restrictions and fees):
• Have a cat? At W Hotels, guests receive cat toys and treats at check-in and can request food, litter boxes, a birthday cake and a "Meow-ow Box" first-aid kit. www.starwoodhotels.com.

• The Cypress Inn in pet-friendly Carmel has doggie blankets, evening turndown service and pet sitting. Dogs can run off-leash on nearby Carmel Beach. www.cypress-inn.com.

• The Viceroy Palm Springs offers a personalized dog dish, freshly baked dog biscuits and, in the summer, four cooling pools for dogs to escape the heat. www.viceroypalmsprings.com.

• The Casa Laguna Inn and Spa in Laguna Beach has a certified canine massage therapist available for relaxation, pain or anxiety-relief massages, at $75 a session. www.casalaguna.com.

• Don't have a pet but wish you did? The Hotel Monaco in San Francisco will lend guests a goldfish during their stay. Dogs get use of a bowl, bottled water, chew toys and Lassie videos to stay entertained. www.monaco-sf.com.

- Michael Martinez, Mercury News


http://www.mercurynews.com

This article is another indication that pets are becoming a greater part of our lives and are influencing our decisions more and more. Even more so, leading edge companies are aware of this and marketing products and services to entice pet owners.



Stop by Lucy's Dog House today for dog collars, dog toys and dog beds