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Glady, come home!

ADOPT 08 CONTEST

Sometimes you get the impression from people that they think rescue pets are second-hand or hand-me-downs. Maybe so if you think about it in such basic terms. But sometimes the first owner wasn't so hot! They didn't allow their dog to shine their brightest! Such is the case with Glady. Like her fursister Lucy, she came into rescue when her previous owner died. Unlike in Lucy's case, this was a huge blessing for Glady. Lucy had been someone's pet. Glady had been someone's bitch! Plain and simple, she was a mill dog. Bred time and time again everytime she came into season. She and her siblings were breeding machines. Surprisingly, she was one of the breeder's favorites. And true! She was overweight as opposed to starved. But she also had all kinds of skin issues, stage 4 dental disease, untreated giardia, and unstable back legs from living in a wire cage for six years and giving birth repeatedly. Basically, being a favorite meant eating as far as I can tell. So, making it into rescue was fine and dandy for Miss Glady.

As it happens, my attention is always perked when dachshunds come into the rescue I volunteer for. I got Lucy from RHS, and that was a dream come true for me. So, when Glady (back then called Snapple) and her fellows came into rescue, they immediately caught my eye. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait years to adopt another dog like I did leading up to Lucy's adoption. I only had to wait for a couple of months. I tell myself that Glady was my real Christmas present this past year. I got her in January right after Christmas, and that's all I'm probably going to remember about this year's holiday. The gift that meant the most to me was the gift I gave myself. Nobody else thought I could handle another dog. I was lucky to have my online Dogsters to reassure me that three wasn't a crowd, and that I wasn't just compulsively shopping though I was accused as such by friends and family. None of them are animal people, though, so they don't understand that need to save a life, to support a rescue, to make a tiny difference.

And what a difference Glady has made in Lily, Lucy's and my little world! Where Lucy goes about gratitude by giving kisses, protecting the fort, and curling up next to me, Glady goes about gratitude by following me everywhere, wagging her tail without ceasing and hopping up and down in excitement. To say that one dog rescued is all it takes to reap the joys of adoption is naive. Every dog brings a ray of hope or a lesson to be learned. Pansy taught me all about trust; Lily (though not adopted) has taught me much about humor; Lucy has taught me a lot about gratitude; and Glady...well, Glady has taught me about undeniable joy!

Well, Mom went out and bought us some new and better kibble. It's Natural Balance Duck and Potato formula. And we lurves it, of course! We were already getting the dog treats, so this is kinda the next step to getting us all on one food. But anyways...she also steam-cleaned the carpet with bleach to kill any hint of giardia, and guess what?! Um...Nope! I'm not even going to jinx myself here, but between the disinfecting and the new food, things are going swell for me at last. I'd lost 2 lbs over the past month, and now I'm gaining it back. YAY! Glady's a happy dog at last! And then we go on vacation the end of this month. A wiener dog road trip!!!

Oh the indignity! The outrage! The absolute horror! There is a man on our porch!!! He climbed up on his ladder and got on OUR PORCH!!! I'm furious! I'm outraged. My property, my porch, my mommy I must protect!!! How dare he????!!!!! Mom says she's pretty outraged, too, because there was no notice that someone would be painting the porch. We live in an apartment complex, and she says she guesses they have the right. But still! I've been barking non-stop and he won't go away! I'm about to lose my voice, and still that man will not leave! What a jerk! Leave, foe of my casa! Leave now!!! Get thee gone, oh enemy of mine!