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When Andy and I got engaged, we got an Alaskan Malamute pup that we raised until the old age of 10. After we put Cherokee down in the summer of 2010, I swore up and down that we’d never get another dog. There were perks to not having the responsibility of a pet, especially with three kids, and for awhile it was great. But once Oliver turned two, something internal kicked in. For some women, this is the time when you start to get baby fever again. Your “baby” is suddenly a toddler and you wonder where those 2 years went. Last fall, I was yearning big time. Knowing we had no plans to grow our family of five, I started thinking about dogs. I knew I wanted to rescue a dog after seeing an incredibly sad documentary called One Nation Under Dog. I bawled my eyes out and swore to myself that we would rescue a dog someday. If you haven’t seen it, I highly suggest it but you are warned that it is incredibly sad and graphic. I still can’t even think about it without tearing up.

Last fall, I started researching dog breeds. My son Aidan, who shares my love for animals, wanted a small dog. After having a big dog for 10 years, I saw the appeal of a little dog. It had been a long time since I had a dog small enough to hold. I fell in love with the Havanese breed and we went to check one out with a local rescue group. We had no dibs on it since they are so popular and there was a flood of applications for this particular little guy. I wanted to see him in person though, so that I could decide if I even liked them or not. He was brought into the puppy ring and he immediately peed, pooped, scratched at his cage, jumped around, and wouldn’t stop barking literally the entire time we were there. Thank goodness I did not have my heart set on that guy, he was not the dog for us! I hope that somewhere, whoever ended up with him has the time and patience to work with him and train him. I was looking for something a little more turnkey- so to speak. I didn’t want to work with a new puppy and all that goes along with it- the biting, chewing, and accidents in the house. That day, we ended up with a 4 lb. toothless Pomeranian we named Leo. We had Leo for two months until he ran away from my in-laws house while we were on vacation in December. We tried everything, but sadly we were not able to recover him.

About two weeks ago, that empty hole in my heart started to grow bigger and bigger. We were still mourning the loss of Leo, but I was ready to move on and once again open up our home to another dog. Of course, if Leo ends up being found he will always have a home with us but I needed to fill that void and there are so many dogs that need a loving home. I started looking on Petfinder again. It was my nightly ritual before bed for about a week. I started pinning dog possibilities to my secret Pinterest dog board and then showing Andy and the kids the following morning. My husband promised me that if we got another dog it had to be a little bit sturdier than 4 lbs. It had to at least be able to defend itself if it got out of the house! I did not have my heart set on any breed this time, I was just looking for a “good dog.”

I came across Shep’s ad and completely fell in love:

I was not even looking at large dogs but something about him just got to me and I was intent on making him our dog. I filled out an application for him and was notified by his foster on a Saturday morning. I was told there was one family that was going to see him that day and they were ahead of us in the application process. If this family decided they loved him too, he would be theirs. I have never felt so strongly about a dog being “mine” than I did with Shep! I was on pins and needles all day, watching the clock and knowing that the family was meeting Shep at 1:30 pm. The foster told me that the family was looking at two other dogs that day and they were intimidated by his size, so her gut said they would end up going with something smaller. She was right! I got a call at 2 pm letting me know that the family had decided to pass on Shep because their cat did not like him. I have never been so happy with a cat before! We set up a time to meet and Shep was officially ours if we wanted him.

When we met, it was truly love at first sight. Shep was so excited to see me, almost as if he knew I was there to rescue him. I was told he was an unclaimed stray at the Maplewood Impound and he was set to be euthanized that Monday. Heading Home K9 came in and rescued him and he was put into foster short-term before ended up with us. It is so sad to think of the millions of animals that are put down each year, just like Shep because there is simply no room for them. Shep has been the most wonderful, well-behaved dog we could ever ask for. He is so happy, yet gentle with the kids. He puts up with Oliver pulling his tail, hanging on him, and literally trying to wrestle Shep down. He is always there to lay by my side and the most amazing part of his presence is what he did with Aidan. Aidan is my troublesome sleeper at the moment (I think every parent has one of these at one time or another). He has had a hard time sleeping by himself for the past few months. I moved my office downstairs and he is very concerned once I leave his floor for the night. The first night we had Shep, my husband was trying to console Aidan upstairs and Shep was downstairs with me. Suddenly, he left me and went up to Aidan’s room. I kid you not when I say that he jumped into Aidan’s bed and slept with him the whole night! We’ve had him for a week and a half now and it’s been like that every single night. He stepped in as our doggie guardian angel and stays with Aidan even though I am his “alpha” and always wants to be by me. That is just the kind of wonderful dog he is! We are just completely smitten with him. My favorite thing is taking him to the dog park and watching him run free at full speed playing with other dogs. It’s such a simple reward I can give him for being such a great dog. Oliver even pats his head every day and says, “Good boy.”

I highly suggest considering rescue organizations if you plan on adding a new pet to the family. Not only do you get to save a life, but you get to hear first hand from their foster what type of animal you are getting. Petfinder is great for letting you know an animal’s needs/restrictions. For instance, there are “NO” symbols next to certain animals that wouldn’t do well with kids or other pets in the house. Part of the reason there is such a pet problem is that people think getting a new puppy is so fun until that puppy chews up their furniture and pees on the floor. Suddenly, they decide having a dog isn’t so great and it ends up at a shelter.

Thanks for reading and maybe we’ll see you at a dog park this Spring!