Friday, June 18, 2010

Our New Girl-Lady; A Lucky Dog to a Forever Home

From In the Garden

Memorial Day weekend was a very nice weekend. I worked a bit during the weekend with my garden design business but we Ramseys did have time for a day off and some fun. Our fun began on that Monday when we were headed to the post exchange for some shopping when what do we see? From a distance I knew it was a dog running in the middle of a main road on Fort Campbell. There was no one around and no buildings were in the immediate vicinity. I often see dogs running loose on Fort Campbell and other streets and I usually try to stop and 'rescue' the dog. Most of the time the dogs are so skittish they simply run away, but not this girl. She came straight to the Jimster and Mr. Fix-it and was all too happy to jump in the truck. Oh dear, now what do we do?

We headed straight for the Stray Animal facility on base where we were fortunate enough to catch a tech on duty checking on the animals. She was kind enough to check this girl for a microchip. Of course there wasn't one found. What did I expect when she is running loose on a highway with no collar? We briefly talked with the tech who said they take in about 40 animals per week but only adopt out about 15 during the week. What does that tell you? Animals have life so rough. I know humans do too but for the most part humans have a way out whereas animals are completely dependent upon we humans. This is not always a winning situation for the animals. We decided to keep this girl and see if we could place her. I knew at that point Mr. Fix-it was sold on placing her in our home. Who was he kidding? Normally we do not keep stray animals or we'd own about 20 dogs. Not a good thing for anyone. But this girl had something special about her. She immediately lay her head down and went to sleep in the truck. She was not in any way frightened of us and was very trusting. We were not used to this and totally fell for her sweetness. The next step was to introduce her to the four dogs at home.

We've had experience with this in the past so we were all confident we could handle any situation that may have arisen should the dogs fight. First BJ is introduced. If he accepts a new dog then the rest fall into line. It is funny too since he is the most laid back dog and we consider Link to be the alpha male I am always surprised how BJ is the moderator of everything dog related in our home. This gal barked a bit but bowed down to BJ. She was very submissive. We feel like she is not even one year old due to her very shiny white teeth. Jimmy remarked her teeth are whiter than his-not fair! All dogs accepted this gal. Bella was a bit gruff but she'll get over herself I am sure. She is just grumpy anyhow and misses her mama Christine; who will take Bella back once she is settled back here in Tennessee in a few months.

Jimmy named this gal Lady. At first he had named her Goody since she was such a sweet girl and very loving. She is apparently a German shepherd mix. Perhaps with a collie? The vet says collies are very submissive. We don't really know her background. Normally I am a strictly golden retriever type of girl but this gal's personality won out and opened my eyes to other options. She is such a sweetie and most loyal! She knows her commands and is healthy, albeit a bit skinny. She sticks by our sides like glue. She even escaped our very well fenced backyard to run after me. She had no interest in running away and only wanted to be with me. Too bad Bella can't learn that lesson then she might be allowed out front. As it is Bella runs straight for the road-talk about heart failure! Anyhow, we think Lady will be a good dog and are able to give her a good home. We can't do that with all dogs but are feeling most happy we could help her out.

The Fort Campbell Stray Animal facility was a very kind place to work with. The cost of having her 'adopted' was $97. This included a fecal test, all shots and spay. I would strongly recommend any locals reading this blog to consider adopting a pet from there. There are several animal shelters in the community in addition to the Fort Campbell shelter. It just so happened we found Lady on Fort Campbell so it was within their jurisdiction. You do not need to be military to adopt out there. All of our pets have either been strays or come from animal shelters. They are, in my humble opinion, the best pets and the most grateful. There is a right fit pet for every single soul out there-you need only find it. That right pet may be waiting for you right now...

in the garden....

Update: After a visit to the Fort Campbell veterinarian we have found out Lady is most likely a mix between a shepherd and collie due to her submissiveness to the other dogs. She has never been in heat so the vet estimates she is about eight months old. A puppy indeed. She weights 35 pounds (update: after two weeks she now weighs 45 pounds!) but it is anticipated she will grow a bit more. Her ears are huge. The vet said they were characteristic of coyote ears. Not a good thing but she can hear real well. Now on to the listening...as in no swimming in my bathtub pond and no chewing everything in sight!

Any pet stories of how your pet came to its forever home?


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

31 comments:

  1. What a sweet story and what a lucky dog Lady is. It is really nice how she fit right into your family.

    FlowerLady

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  2. It sounds like you found yourself a great dog and more importantly, she found herself a great family. It's nice that you have space for dogs. We don't and I couldn't bear leaving on in a cage for such long hours with our schedules. We enjoy playing with our friends' dogs. Give yours a nice rub for us. Lucky dog indeed!

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  3. Tina--Lady looks so sweet! What a wonderful story and I'm so happy that everyone found each other. I do think animals like to select their owners! :-)

    Charm is an adopted, retired racing greyhound from a greyhound re-homing shelter. You've met her, so you know she's sweet and kind.

    I've never purchased a dog or cat (only horses) in my life. All have been adopted from shelters or as strays.

    Lady is still a youngster with high energy, so the best thing to keep her from digging and chewing is to have the Jimster give her so much exercise, she wants to nap!

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  4. Congratulations on the new addition and bless you for taking a rescue.

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  5. What a cute new addition. She seems to fit right in.

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  6. Aw, She's beautiful. I don't relish all that work with training a puppy but you have a head start with her being so compliant.

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  7. A cute new friend for sure! She's a lucky lady! ;)

    I would love to add a pooch to the family eventually - especially if they like scaring away deer - but now's not the best time!

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  8. Congratulations on your new addition, Tina! She is so lucky to have found the perfect home with you. And I'm with Mr. Fix-it--how could you "place" such a sweet girl anywhere else?:)

    Granddaughter has been too busy with school so we haven't volunteered at the local shelter in quite awhile. But when we did, it was so hard for me not to come home with an animal each time. Our dog before Sophie came from the shelter when he was 9 years old. Long story short: he'd been there for over six weeks and fit into our family right away. I like to think we made the last years of his life his happiest; I know he turned me into a dog lover for life.

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  9. Lady is so lucky and a sweet gal from your story. I wish I had been able to meet her in person but will at some point.

    As many may know, our two furballs came crawling out of the woods and into our lives as strays. They are so lucky to be indoor only cats with this nasty heat and humidity. I cannot imagine our lives without animals whether our own or wild on our land....

    Kudos to you and the family for taking in this beautiful Lady!

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  10. Congrats Tina on the new addition -she will have a great time at your house. Lots of friends and room to run about safely.
    Hey Skeeter -hope you and yours are all doing well -miss ya gal!
    Hi Jean, Lola, Nina and Dawn -have a great day! We have a track meet today -all four kiddos -yeah, in this heat it should be interesting:) Ciao

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  11. Flowerlady, It is ever so nice to find such a sweet dog. We love them the best.

    GSS, I'll give her a nice rub for you indeed. It is nice you can play with friend's dogs.

    Cameron, I kept thinking Lady was mixed with greyhound but the vet said no, collie. Lady has the long thing nose and is sweet like Charm. Jimmy sure did adore her and thanks again for making us so comfortable visiting your beautiful home and garden.

    Les, Thanks! I wish we could do it for all strays.

    Lola, We have a special fondness for very sweet dogs. Not the barking or biting type and she is neither. She is a perfect fit.

    Dawn, For real she has chewed up my carpet, shoes and who knows what else. I like it when she chews on plastic plant pots in the yard-got tons of those. The good thing is I know she will turn into a dream once she is older. Kind of like teens.

    Dave, The kids would love a little pooch! Even the new baby-which must be getting ready to make his appearance. Let us know when you get one.

    Rose, We feel glad we know her fate for sure. I remember you volunteering at the shelter with your granddaughter. That is such a good thing to do. People who do this (I've never done it) have hearts of gold. It would be so hard.

    Skeeter, You'll love this sweet girl. The Saint might want to take her home with him. Yup, I remember your furballs. Lucky gals they are. I'm still trying to catch Cole. No luck:(

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  12. Anonymous, Good morning! So glad to hear your veggies are doing good-way ahead of mine. Give the kiddos a hug for us and say hi to the big ones.

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  13. Good morning, Tina. What a great story! I love happy endings. So glad you got her off the street before she was hit by a car.

    She is going to make the best garden pal for you and I'm sure she will be a big help to Mr Fix It:) I'll bet she makes a good watch dog too--of course you probably already have a couple of those.
    Marnie

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  14. Lady chose you guys, didn't she? There was just something about you....:-)

    So glad everything worked out. She's adorable. How's it going with housetraining?

    My dad used to go to this hamburger joint that was nothing more than a shack and a picnic table. They had a little brown dog that hung out there and my dad drove by one day when it was raining and the poor thing was in the mud under the picnic table. He jumped right in the car when my dad called him. When he got home, he gave the dog a bath and discovered it was actually white! The next day he called the hamburger place and they couldn't have cared less that he was gone. So he officially became my dad's, and they named him Murphy after the hamburger joint. He's passed on, but was a wonderful pet for 15 years.

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  15. Marnie, It sure worked out really well for this gal. We are happy we can give her a home for sure.

    Jen, That is such a sweet story about Murphy. Kind of sad too though that the folks at the hamburger joint could have cared less about her. It happens all the time. Awfully nice of your dad to give her a home!

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  16. She is indeed a lucky gal but you guys will be well rewarded also (after the puppy stage). You need to teach her to like balls like BJ. Heck, I remember when there was not a ball around BJ would play with rocks and even bring them up on the deck. Too funny. Christy says she will be home in August so it will not be long now and maybe you will lose Bella girl so Lady will make it back to 4 dogs. Bella always did run for the road, to the point that you just knew she was teasing you. Lord knows I am hoping to lose the 4 darn cats!!!!!

    German Shepherds are very loyal dogs.

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  17. Geez, I wonder if she accidently got away from her owner. She must have been loved even though her mixed breed is a submissive one..what a pretty pup!

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  18. She looks like a wonderful dog, Tina! And she is posing for you well. Thanks for making one more creature happy!!!

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  19. Mom, Ole Lady gives BJ a run for his money. She loves BJ and follows him around. Fortunately he is laid back enough to not get too mad about her getting to his ball before he does. Occasionally though. I've taken to throwing two if I can find two. She has been good. Yup, looking forward to helping Christine find a nice house-hopefully close by. She'll be happy to have all her critters back and Bella will be happier too.

    Darla, Very possible. We'll never know since there were no ads in the paper for her and no one came to the animal control looking for her. Such a pity too.

    Tatyana, My pleasure really.

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  20. Congratulations on your newest family member!! What a little sweetie. She sure is lucky to have found you guys! Ellie Mae says hello!

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  21. What a lucky dog to get such a good home. We adopted two kitties from a shelter. I can't think of a better way to find a pet. Carla

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  22. What a beautiful new baby! I'm sure she'll fit right in. -Randy

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  23. What a cute dog. She is very lucky that you happened to be driving by the day she was running lose in the road. You'll have to keep us posted on how big she ends up.

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  24. That's wonderful Tina! congratulations on such a delightful addition to your family.

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  25. What a lucky Lady! You have done something wonderful bringing Lady into your home. I love how she chose you. As for coyote ears: cute! I second the motion that adoption from a shelter is a wonderful choice. I volunteered at one all through high school.

    When our first dog died, my children were devastated. After several dogless months living in London mourning our loss, I found a litter of puppies for when we would be back home in the USA. We visited the litter and picked a puppy but weren’t sure we’d get her. Then my husband was diagnosed with health problems. Everyone, even the doctors, thought it was a bad idea to add a puppy to the equation. Then the breeder called to say we could have our first choice puppy. We said yes. That puppy kept us laughing through hard times. Now my husband is doing really well on the right medications and that puppy is a dog and part of our family. We were lucky too.

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  26. Lady is gorgeous! What an awesome story!

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  27. What a beautiful dog you found. I just love dogs and miss having one at the moment. Enjoy her!

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  28. Jackie, Hi to you and to Ellie Mae as well. I hope all is well in Massachusetts!

    Carla, I so agree.

    Randy, She is fitting in-a bit too well says my carpet and a few other things that have met her sharp teeth:)

    Catherine, She is growing like a weed. I so wish I knew her story.

    Melanie, Thanks.

    Sarah, So glad your husband is doing well and sorry to hear about his illness. Your beautiful golden can't help but to bring a smile to all who see her and I know she must've been a big motivator for your husband to get well too.

    Meemsnyc, Hello and welcome all the way from New York. Our new gal is indeed a sweetheart. Those cukes look mighty good!

    Linda, She is a real sweetie. So sorry for the loss of your father.

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  29. Congratulations on the new addition to your family! She's a lucky dog with a good home. :)

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  30. I volunteer at a no-kill shelter every weekend. As a result, I currently have five dogs!!! Baby and Chance have been together since they were puppies and had to be adopted together. Their previous owner surrendered them when she went into assisted living. But they came with several missing pieces to their story since Chance has permanent throat damage and Baby has a broken tail from being beaten. Lucy was a stray that had been taken to the local pound in a very rural county. She was scheduled to be euthanized, as is every dog each Thursday. One of our volunteers made their weekly call to see who we could rescue and Lucy was lucky enough to make the cut. After a month of walking her and rushing to the shelter to spend time with her, I couldn't take it any more and brought her home. Our foster dogs were surrendered by their owner when she was no longer able to care for them. Two teens and five dogs makes for a very interesting household!!!

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  31. Congratulations on the new family member, and to Lady for finding the right people to pick her up off the highway! I foster for the Oregon Humane Society, where luckily we have a 98% adoption rate for dogs, so we don't worry about their fate when we return them to the shelter for adoption. I have been very strict with myself about not keeping too many, so I can have room in my home to continue fostering. In my last batch of puppies, chihuahuas from a hoarder, my brother in law and his girlfriend fell in love with one and adopted her, so we happily get to keep her in our lives. In fact, I am dog-sitting tonight, with a puppy sleeping in my lap. It sounds like your love of dogs extends to he rest of your family too - how wonderful.

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