Rescuers: Taking the leap of faith on a shelter doodle

[Patty]

Tell me about the leap of faith you took when you pulled a doodle from the shelter and made him / her part of your pack. Did you know much about your doodle prior to adoption? Or did you take a complete leap of faith? I'd love to hear your stories.

Although my Talullah doodle is a rescue, she came from a foster home and never served "hard time" in a shelter. I once adopted a dalmatian from a shelter, and despite his partial deafness (which became complete) and stubborn nature, my husband and I fell completely in love. Any sane person would have turned around a mile out from the shelter when the dog simply wouldn't shut up. Not me, though :) We brought him home with us, we persevered through the tough moments, and we fell in love. And he never was quiet in the car!

Please tell me your stories. The wilder, the better :)

[Frannie & Callie]

Ok - I can't read this thread from work any more! Now I'm crying, I'm laughing, and I just tortured a co-worker with stories of my dog Bailey's back rehab (it involved a swimming pool - oy!). I wish everyone a lovely day!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

NO FAIR!
I want to hear the swimming pool rehab. But it is important you keep your job. At least some of us still have this rare thing called A JOB. Let us know later. :)

[Frannie & Callie]

Ok - now I'm able to "talk" again (yes, remaining employed is very important to me!). My poor sweet Bailey was a rescue...I got her in December 1996 at the Atlanta Humane Society. I went in looking for a fur-faced, shaggy dog...the kind I've always favored. Bailey (Natasha then) was NOTHING like that. She was part bassett hound/part black lab and had a short and long bassett body, but shaped like a lab, with a total lab face and ears that hit the ground. Bailey's previous owners didn't want her any longer, so they left her wander the streets at the age of 5. Bailey was a challenging little girl...she barked, she howled, she shed so much that I could have knit a new dog every single day with the hair she left on the floor. She got car sick if we went down the block, was housebroken only when the hated other dogs, and if a child approched her, she would instantly pee. So we worked on stuff (this was before the furminator)...she got less barky, I learned to give her a half a dramamine before we got near the car, and we slowly worked on the housebreaking, the dog hatred, and the abject fear of children. In some areas, she had a complete turn around. In others, not so much :). Bailey really had a wonderful nature and in spite of the issues she was my baby and I loved her.

Then, Christmas night, about 5 years after I had gotten Bailey I woke up during the night because she was crying. She had dragged herself over to my by her front legs...her back legs weren't working at all. I really freaked out...she looked so scared and sad, and I could tell she was in pain. We went straight to the emergency vet where she was diganosed with a ruptured disc. Once I authorized the very expensive surgery (this is the reason Callie has insurance!), they were able to successfully repair the damage. She had to stay in the hospital for a week, then we could start rehab. Step one of rehab was her walking loop...I had a contraption (imagine a hospital gown wrapped in blue medical gauze) that looped under her belly to support her back legs. We made quite a picture! I lived on the third floor of an apartment building then, and was getting quite a workout myself, carrying her 35lbs up and down with me (stairs were a permanent no-no the rest of Bailey's life). The walking loop wasn't rehabbing Bailey enough, so the vet wanted me to start hydrotherapy with her...we started in the bathtub, but couldn't really get her in a good float (the idea was for her to float in the water, with my arms supporting her middle section so that she would work her legs without any pressure on her back). I called around to various indoor pools (it was January at this point, so outdoor pools weren't open, even if I was willing to take one for the team!) and finally found a private swim club that was willing to let me and Bailey come in before they opened and use the pool. We went three days a week and while Bailey was limited in activities (no stairs, no jumping, etc), we did get her walking normally again. I moved into a ground floor apartment and that made both of us MUCH happier!

Bailey and I had our ups and downs the remaining 5 years of her life, but she was still my baby and I have no regrets for rescuing her. I knew from that moment we met that she was meant to be with me!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Wow, this story just leaves me speechless, Frannie. You're really a very special person, and your dogs are very lucky dogs!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

What a wonderful story of Bailey. What a wonderful Swim Club ! What a wonderful thing you still have your job :)

[Suzanne & Jack]

Patty, all I can say is do it. My husband and I lost our giant schnauzer mix to cancer in 2007. a week later we found ourselves in a pet store looking at an adorable labradoodle (I know shame on us). He came home with us , but my husband kept saying he was not like our old Jack. I found a dog on Petfinder that looked very much like our old Jack. Unfortunately he was 1200 miles away at a shelter in Darlington SC. Undeterred my husband and I roadtripped down to meet him. When they brought him out he didn't really look like we had envisioned, but we brought him home anyway. We couldn't stand the thought of leaving him in the shelter. The entire ride home he was a perfect gentleman. He quickly bonded to our new Jack, the labradoodle, and the two are thick as thieves.

Fast forward to this year when our 17 year old schnauzer died. We again got on Petfinder looking for an older schnauzer. We found one that was fairly pitiful. After several weeks of checking we realized there was one that was probably not adoptable. He had few teeth and was aroung 10. We went to the rescue group that had him and found out he had been surrendered to the local shelter to be euthanized. We brought him home and he lived another 6 months. Once he recovered from an infection he was great. After he died we found out that his original owner had died and there was no one to take the dog. We also found out that his owner used to drive him around a lot, which was why he would always jump in the car if the door was open. This time around we went witha younger schnauzer. I will say he is crazy, but very lovable. We are having some problems with housebreaking and he likes to eat his poop. Other than that he is very sociable and gets along with the other two very well. He is also a hit at the dogpark.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Suzy. What a houseful of love you have and loving stories go with each one. It is kinda like true love--You never know when and where your next dog will show up. You know sometimes --it is just not the dog for you but somehow they know before you do.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

These are all truly amazing stories. Everyone who has rescued a dog in need and has given up so much to rehabilitate them is a very special person. I am so proud just to know you all (in cyberspace) and to feel like you are my friends. I have always admired anyone who rescued animals in need, but until now I don't think I truly understood what it was all about. There's a special place in heaven for all of you and your special pets who will meet you there.

[Patty]

All of these stories... this is how I know I've found the right place.

Thank you, all of you, for sharing!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Each story is more touching than then next. It is very hard to type with tearing streaming down my face. It is so wonderful to know that there are some absolutely fantastic, humans out there.

Patty, I thank you so much for starting this discussion. I makes me remember why I do this! There are days I just want to throw my hands up in disgust and walk away (well, only for a nano-second) but then things like this discussion make me remember why I won't. Wouldn't it be just wonderful if others reading these stories, who may be sitting on the fence about rescuing/fostering decide that they want to join this wonderful group of beautiful human beings!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When I was a young girl my mom got me a book called All Dogs Go To Heaven Obviously she hadn't screened it because it contained stories similar to this (at least as I remember) and I cried through each and every one of them and it left me so upset. Now, I feel thrilled just to hear your stories. How special so many of you are.