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Words of Wisdom from the loving Luce

Um...so how exactly does one tell the humom that her creation is not at all to satisfaction? See...she thought she was doing me a huge favor. Lily and Glady both use little steps to get up on the sofa or the bed, but I DON'T DO STAIRS!!! Even if it's only two or three, so Mom made a ramp. It's cool I guess, but I apparently don't do ramps either. Even when there's food involved. I DON'T DO RAMPS!!! I jump. Yes, I'm 15 years old; I'm a doxie; I've got arthritis; but apparently I'm content to jump off the bed and jump off the sofa. Steps, ramp be damned!!! I don't do these handicap ways of getting around.

ADOPT 08 CONTEST

How does one begin to tell Lucy's story! So much of it is a story that I as her adoptive mom don't know. You see, Lucy didn't come to me as a young dog by any means. She came to me as a scared, geriatric, homeless miniature dachshund. It's only human that after our aging relative has passed on we try to get rid of any painful reminders or extra responsibilities we can't tackle. This isn't such a big deal when it comes to donating a musical instrument or having a garage sale. It becomes a big deal when it comes to a living, breathing pet who is left behind. Lucy's former owner died leaving Lucy, a fourteen year old dachshund homeless and unspoken for. The lady's family certainly didn't want her, so she ended up in the hands of animal services.

Somewhere Lucy must've had a guardian angel because she was immediately picked out by an employee who called the Richardson Humane Society and turned her over to foster care. Lucky Lucy! A geriatric dog and animal control don't make a lasting relationship, so this was saving grace. This is also where I came in. Long had I wanted another dog, and long had my current doxie Lily wanted a furry companion. To put it point blank, we were lonely! It's not easy getting a dog, however. It took months, even a couple years of saving funds and months of working things around to get to the point where another dog was possible. By this time, the two of us were desparate!!! Then, lo and behold, a local rescue has a gorgeous dapple doxie up for adoption even if she is a senior.

What I didn't realize before I fell in love with this dog is that she was not only a senior, she was 14 years old with heart disease and arthritis. Not exactly uncommon in geriatric dogs, but still I was unprepared for these diagnoses. Not to mention that dog numero dos wasn't welcome in my apartment complex, and my secrecy mission was becoming harder and harder to maintain. How does one typically solve this problem? By returning the dog, of course. I'm not your typical person though. How could I return this little girl to her homeless predicament?! Instead of returning Lucy, I kept on saving every extra bit of money to pay for her veterinary care and for the expense of moving house!

It was absolutely worth it even if it wasn't an easy feat. Lily and I immediately began to see the difference with Lucy around. Lily quit misbehaving now she had some company to play with and curl up next to. I found that work was more tolerable, I found it less lonely at home even if three is sometimes considered a crowd, and I found awesome friends in her rescuers and found something worthwhile to dedicate my time to: animal rescue!!! Getting Lucy was more than just "getting a dog" to have another dog, something I've been accused of before. It was finding company, friendship, family, purpose and love all at once. Something I don't think I'd have found unless I adopted the dog who being abandoned after fourteen years, needed a loving home just as much as say the 3 month old puppy up for adoption in the picture next to her as I perused the RHS website.

Hallo! I've got cool news. Aside from the fact that we're going on vacation to the Buda, TX Wiener Dog Races soon, Mom did a cool thing. She got us new food!!! Of course, I like any and all food. But Mom decided that we all needed to be eating the same thing. So she went out and bought some Natural Balance Duck and Potato since we like the treats so much. Yay! It's good, and already we can tell a difference. YAY!!! New food, good food means happy Luce!