A note about the ease of adopting a senior dog, from one of our fantastic adoptive parents, Jane. She and her husband Richard adopted Wyatt (http://www.muttville.org/mutt/wyatt-2), now known as Charlie.
“We adopted Charlie the Pomeranian at the recommendation of our daughter, who is a Muttville volunteer and lives in San Francisco. Rick flew 2000 miles to visit Lake Tahoe and play golf, intending to bring Charlie home on the plane after a week-long visit.
Charlie is a 6 pound, bundle of energy – a senior dog who is full of life and a delight to be around. People frequently think he is a puppy but he is really a very seasoned dog who happens to be both well-trained and missing more than few teeth!
He was rescued by someone from the side of the highway, completely matted and covered in fleas, burrs and a big scab on his leg. After Muttville’s veterinary volunteers shaved him, gave him a bath & some medicine, he looked like his usual handsome self.
Charlie loves his walks and was already completely house-trained. He gets along well with other dogs of all sizes, cats, people and children. He even marched in “Pooches On Parade” on the Fourth of July in Half Moon Bay, California while wearing a patriotic, red bandana. Charlie enjoyed his week at Lake Tahoe and took lots of short hikes with our daughter’s two dogs.
On the plane, Charlie slept the whole way to Cleveland. The sedative the veterinarian prescribed conked him out until the end of the flight when Rick unzipped the Sherpa bag and Charlie popped his little head out of the bag and refused to put it back inside! Rick carefully zipped the bag around Charlie’s head and carried him off the plane. (Rick was afraid to push him back into the bag because Charlie is so small.)
Upon arrival at his new home, Charlie immediately inspected the fenced back yard and urinated on every bit of shrubbery. After a bit of aloof behavior, Charlie and the youngest cat are romping and playing together. They are approximately the same size and enjoy playing games.
Charlie sleeps on the foot of the bed and has an upholstered footstool to help him jump up and down off the bed. He plays fetch with a small, plush bumblebee toy with a squeaker inside.
Charlie is settling into his new life in the Midwest. He rides well in the car and goes almost everywhere with us. Recently, he was the only dog at a human birthday party near Lake Erie. Truly, this dog was born to be a Clevelander!”
7/23/10
Are you the proud parent of a Muttville dog? Send us your story! Include three of your favorite photos and send it to success_stories@muttville.org with the subject line 'Success Story'.
