Hooray for Misty!

In April of 2001 we adopted our first rescued dog: Daphne, a Soft Coated Wheaten/Sighthound mix--perhaps Greyhound, perhaps Whippet.

I found Daphne's picture on the internet and was immediately gripped. "She's asking me to come and get her asap! Just look at that face!"

We live in San Diego County. Daphne was at Pet Orphans in Van Nuys, north of Los Angeles.

John, bless his heart, agreed to the adoption. And so, on one of the hottest April Sundays on record, we drove up to Pet Orphans, adopted Daphne and began the brand new educational experience of living with a dog who scored 10 out of 10 on the Adorable Appearance Scale, but, as we were informed, had "issues."

All I can say is that adopting a dog that was found at about one year of age on the streets of L.A.; was bounced from two placements; and because of her unique breed mix and background experienced great stress being kenneled for most of two years; was a far cry from our previous pattern of buying pure bred puppies from a highly responsible breeder.

But Daphne changed our lives. We will never again buy a pure bred dog. We will always adopt a rescue.

And I will always have a very soft spot in my heart for Pet Orphans, Daphne's Alma Mater. They loved her, did their best to socialize and train her, and stuck with her until we, her "forever home", finally materialized.

That's the reason there is a link to Pet Orphans on the right hand side of this blog. And that's why I visit their site at least once a week. It's my connection to Daphne. And I become particularly attached to and concerned about the dogs who wait and wait for forever homes.

Today I checked on the dogs of Pet Orphans who need homes. And happiness of happiness, one of my favorites, a tiny Chihuahua/Terrier mix who has been waiting and waiting and waiting--maybe not as long as Daphne, but way too long--has been adopted. Hooray for Misty! Congratulations to her new family! Only the presence of Bingley and Magic had prevented me from talking to John about another trip up to Van Nuys.

Now there's Teddy, the Pomeranian mix. He is really adorable. So he jumps five foot fences. I'm sure there's someone out there who can work with him on that issue. And Yogi, the American Bulldog, and Bart, and Annabella and Elvis--all Chihuahua mixes and....

But today is Misty's Day.

Now there's room for another dog who can be "transferred" from one of the high kill "shelters" in Los Angeles County to Pet Orphans, one of the finest private rescues, and a true shelter for Teddy and Yogi and Bart and Annabella and Elvis and all the other dogs and cats waiting there for forever homes.


Note: There is a malfunction that is preventing me from giving hot links in my posts. If you wish to visit Pet Orphans' site, the link at the right of the page is in working order and will take you to pictures of some wonderful dogs in need of forever homes.