So as I write tonight’s post, my little rescue puppy, Minnie, is curled up next to me. My other tad-bit bigger rescue pup, Lucy, is lying peacefully, warmly and safely on the other couch.
The little kitty I rescued – the last kitten in a cold cage that I stumbled upon at this pet supply shop in Crystal Lake Illinois eight years ago, is sound asleep under the Christmas tree. She is there under that tree every Christmas season. I think she loves the warmth of the lights and the seclusion of the tree’s branches. And I Iove seeing her there so peaceful and safe.
Earlier this week I logged on to a local shelter’s website. I do this sometimes just to see the dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, out there waiting for homes….Waiting for people to snuggle up against on a chilly night and someone to provide warm shelters to lay under, or a home where there is a safe, familiar nook to climb into – food, water, the basic comforts of life…….
I don’t know why I Â visit these sites, as I know I cannot bring anymore pets into this home.
So to make up for it, I care diligently for my own rescue pets, give money freely to animal rescues like PAWS and the Humane Society of America. Whenever I am in Petco or PetSmart, I give money to local animal shelters.
I often tell my husband to sell our beautiful home in this lovely, manicured  subdivision and buy me a crap, floppy house out on a large lot of farmland so that I can provide a home to all the dogs and cats in shelters, in desperate need of a loving home.
Aside from all of that, here is why I am writing this entry tonight. When I adopted  Minnie from Help A Pooch rescue in Algonquin Illinois there was another puppy there….I hate to even write this….It was Minnie’s sister, Winnie. I already had a dog and a cat at home.  Further more, I was told that Minnie and Winnie, who each were rescued from a “hoarding situation” had already been in separate living situations for months. I was told that Winnie would be adopted in no time and that I should not feel bad about adopting one, and not the other.
That was in February 2012. Now in November of 2012, I was looking at animals up for adoption with the McHenry County Animal Control……I saw Winnie.
My heart aches. I do not write this just for the sake of this post ……. I feel horrible.
I read once that if you rescue a pet from a rescue, adoption or animal control facility you actually save the lives of two pets. You save the life on the one you take home and the one that you make room for by bringing the one home.
Adoption/rescue groups get their animals sometimes from “kill shelters”… This means if you adopt a dog or cat from an adoption group, you are likely saving that dog or cat from death.
Please give a Christmas gift to one who truly does not have many options.
Picture yourself or a beloved family member, even your adored family pet, in a cold cage…innocent, waiting, wondering, hoping, wanting to curl up against someone or lie peacefully under your Christmas tree.
So please, I beg, someone adopt a pet rather than buy an expensive designer pet from a private breeder or puppy mill.  And, really, if you want an adorable, loving, sweet, kind, “Malchie” go see Winnie at http://www.petfinder.com. I can tell you firsthand, she comes from a good family! 🙂
Please comment, like and share your stories of pet rescues with me!
See you next week!
Amanda Marrazzo 
Our first girl, Reggie, was from a breeder who had impeccable lineage among her Labs. Our next three – 2 Labs & a retriever/hound mix – were from rescue groups. I doubt we’ll ever go the breeder route again. While it is sometimes a challenge to figure out some of the behaviors of our girls who got their start elsewhere, we adore them no less than we did Reggie. And – we still look on a regular basis, even though we have two big dogs in the house! Once your heart is seized by a furry creature, it’s addictive!
LikeLike
I can totally relate to your article!!! When we adopted our dog, Wrigley, from the shelter, his brother was being adopted at the same time (we actually wanted the brother but got to the shelter too late). So we adopted Wrigley instead and it’s been great. I learned a couple weeks ago that the people that adopted the brother returned him to the shelter! I could not believe it. I went to see him and he is a beautiful dog, but now he is not as desirable because he’s no longer a puppy (well, he still is a puppy but doesn’t look like it cuz he’s 6 months old). Now he’s just another “shelter dog”. Sad. He was returned because he was “aggressive”…he’s still a puppy so how aggressive can he really be?! We cannot adopt him, but seriously considered it. I keep checking the website to see if he’s still there because I want him to find a home…
LikeLike
Oh my goodness Terri! That is so so soso sosososso sad! Now I feel awful for him! There is more to the story of how we got Minnie too…So you know, I adopted Lucy from the same rescue lady 5 or 6 years ago when she was at Petco on an adoption day. I would go every now and then on Saturdays to Petco just to see the dogs up for adoption if I was out and about. So one day I went and I saw this other puppy, this totally adorable little Springer Spaniel, she was sooooo pretty, this perfect little brown and white puppy,like 8 weeks old. I had Emily take her picture and sent it to my mom and begged her to adopt her. The rescue folks named her Stella! Minnie and Winnie were there at that same time, they were older and I heard their story about how they were in a home where the people there were hoarding animals and all these dogs and cats were rescued when there was a fire at the house…Also, step back a bit more, as Emily went to take Stella’s picture, Minnie actually jumped up and got in the picture, it was so funny..So anyway, my mom didn’t adopt the Stella, another few weeks goes by and I see that Stella was adopted and I also see a picture of just Minnie, and her sister Winnie’s picture is no longer on the rescue website, so I start to feel sad for Minnie, thinking she was now in this rescue shelter all alone without her sister, so I get all emotionally attached to this little Minnie’s picture, I go look at it over and over and feel sad and talk myself into getting her, so I go to the next Petco adoption day and there is Minnie, all scrawny looking, I pick her up start loving on her ….. I see Winnie is still there!!!! I do not know why her picture was no longer on the website…I struggled but I thought well I went there for Minnie, someone will get Winnie, the rescue people said don’t worry, Winnie will be OK, she will be adopted…….But as I wrote in the blog, that was February and it is now November!
LikeLike
SO true Jenny! I look all the time and I really shouldn’t! But as far as learning your dogs’ lineage, I just filed a story with the Chicago Tribune on DNA testing for dogs! It cost $125, $150 somewhere in there. Through a blood draw done at your vet office you can find out what your dogs are made up of! I’m sure your Reggie was a sweetie, no doubt they all are! Thank you for reading and commenting my friend!
LikeLike
I called that lady and told her we wanted Winnie and she never called me back!!!!!! Poor Winnie!!!
________________________________
LikeLike
That stinks!! And she is still there Tracy! I’m so sad!
LikeLike
We surprised Keith last year with a rescue puppy at Christmas. His previous owner had just become homeless and could no longer take care of him. I was very nervous about getting a dog (I had a black lab for 13 years and when she passed, I didn’t know if I would ever be ready). But I know Keith really wanted a dog back in the house, and several years had finally passed. So a friend of mine, her 2 daughters,Taylor and I all went to the shelter just before Christmas. There were a couple we looked at and since Kevin was working (and we didn’t want to leave him out of this) we would take pictures and send them through a text. We ended up bringing home Cooper,a Weimaraner who at the time was just over a year old and had only spent 1 night in the shelter. Now almost a year later (he just celebrated his 2nd birthday) he has fit into our family quite nicely!!! Getting to know his quirks and his routines have been kind of like going back in time (of sorts) to when the kids were little and had to “kid proof” the house. He has a wonderful, gentle disposition and we are so lucky to have found him. And my friend with the 2 daughters, since our visit they have adopted….2 rabbits, and 3 cats!!! But like you, I still visit the website just to see those cute little faces and how they can make someones world a lttle brighter.
LikeLike
Gillian, you literally saved his life!!! SO sweet! I bet who ever had to give him up was just crushed! I have heard that quite a bit about the homeless people, or those who had to move out of their house due to foreclosure and into an apartment where dogs are not allowed…Those are horrible stories! Yes a new dog is like a new little kid, you have to check everything! Minnie did all these things Lucy NEVER did! I can no longer keep out candy, or any type of food for that matter, Lucy never bothered with candy in my candy dishes! This crazy little one ate a whole jar of chocolate hearts last Valentine’s Day and puked everywhere! And she goes in the bathroom trash cans, Lucy NEVER did that! There are a dozen things this little one does that I never even thought of with Lucy! It is funny getting to know her, she is so full of love though, for all the headaches, she is worth it, and Lucy from day one has just been the sweetest thing! I think they know they were saved! xoxoxo
LikeLike
Just wanted to let you know that Wrigley’s brother got adopted yesterday! Yay! But I want to know who adopted him…like what kind of people they are, where they live, etc. to know if he have the best life. Seriously. LOL!
LikeLike
HI Terri!!!! That is great news, but I totally understand wanting to know who has him!!!! I want to know where Whinnie went too…My friend who told me that when she was told Whinnie was adopted, she actually went there to Petco that day to adopt Whinnie!!!! Which would have been awesome!!! But of course learned she was already gone…I SO would have loved for my friend to have adopted her! I would have loved to have Minnnie and Whinnie have play dates together, to be reunited!!! But so sad she is already with another family…. 😦 But at least she has a home, and Wrigley’s brother too… Thanks for the update!!!
LikeLike