National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month- A Visit with Dolly the Doxie

"Dolly the Doxie"
Credit: Dolly the Doxie, Used by Permission

When you have finally made a decision to bring a dog into your home, what guides your decision on where you get the dog? Did you always know you would get one from a shelter, or did you only think dogs were pure breeds that came from a breeder? When the Lady I rescued offered to do a guest blog for Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month she started asking herself those questions. She tried to remember what influences happened in her lifetime that caused her to know that she would adopt her first puppy from a shelter.

Growing up she always had pets, well as much as she could with a dad in the Air Force and moving all of the time. That's when she had her first heartbreak over an animal, leaving behind Topper when her family moved overseas. A member of her family when she came along, she has no idea where he came from. Another dog couldn't be adopted until her dad retired from the military and they settled in Michigan. She still remembers the whole family, four kids, mom and dad, in the car driving to the humane society in Kalamazoo. That's where they found their family dog Lucy, a Beagle mix. She remained a member of the family until all the children grew up, moved away and had their own families, and dogs.

That was the last dog the Lady had. Now it was time for her to get her first puppy as an adult. But growing up she learned it was best to have a mixed breed dog, and from a shelter. Those were characteristics that she learned from her family. To find a dog that needs a home the most you go to a shelter.

She adopted me from a shelter in Niles, IL called Wright-Way Rescue. She had never heard of the shelter when she found me on Petfinder.com. She had visited a shelter already, and looked online. When the day came to actually pick out a dog, she typed in her zip code and there I was! At a shelter she had never heard of, Wright-Way Rescue. Wright-Way Rescue operated differently than most shelters, my litter was at an intake facility in Southern Illinois. She was able to "reserve" me for a meet and greet when I made it to Niles and could be adopted. But there were a lot of complications. Wright-Way rescued my litter from a "humane" society shelter and we were in very poor condition and pretty sickly. It took us seven weeks before we were well enough to be adopted! As she cuddled me in her arms on the way home from the shelter she told Dad that she wanted to name me Dolly and that was that! The rest is history.

But it’s not. On Oct. 2 a school bus drove right into Wright-Way Rescue demolishing the shelter. No persons or animals were hurt, but now the shelter is homeless and looking for a building to relocate. They are desperately trying to raise the funds while continuing to find homes for the animals they have. For more information on the accident and the shelter's situation please read my blog Wright Way Rescue: Rescue the Right Way or to donate visit Firstgiving - Wright-Way Rescue.

Love, Dolly the Doxie (mix)
xoxox