Muttville founder Sherri Franklin is known for being a great matchnmaker. Here is one of those stories where Sherri’s amazing intuition created the perfect lifelong match:
A friend of mine had encouraged me several times to adopt a dog, and had even gone as far as sending me links to various adorable dogs on Petfinder. I already had two senior cats and so wasn’t sure I wanted to bring a dog into the mix, but I also have a tough time resisting a cute face when it comes to animals so eventually I gave in and decided to consider it.
It turned out that the puppy in the original photo had already been adopted, but the very next picture & link on Petfinder was to a dog named Glenda from Muttville, which after thinking about it, how could I resist a dog of the same name?! Coincidentally, it also turned out that Muttville was going to be at the Palo Alto air show that very weekend. So with the universe sending me signs that I should adopt a dog, I went to the air show and met some of the Muttville mutts and the volunteers. After a great conversation with Meryl and cuddles with some adorable ‘mutts’, I submitted an application to adopt or foster a dog.
Sherri contacted me within a couple of days with some information about Glenda the dog, but also mentioned that she had an adorable Aussie in somewhat urgent need of a foster home, and he was great with cats, even curling up to sleep with them at his current foster home… would I be interested in meeting him? I wasn’t set on a particular breed or dog, so I was definitely open to any dog in need of a home that would be good with cats.
We exchanged several emails, then arranged for me to come up to meet Freckles the next weekend. He was a bit under the weather with tummy troubles, and we were both nervous – but after a quick walk in the park he gamely got in the car for the ride home with me.
Sherri, despite her busy schedule, was a great source of info and support the first few days as I questioned everything – Is he eating enough? He’s panting a lot, is that normal? how much pumpkin again? In hindsight, I was just like a nervous new mom! But I have to say I was impressed with how much Sherri wanted to make sure it was the right place for Freckles – Muttville really does care about the dogs and where they end up!
It only took about a week and the cats got used to the strange new beast living in their home, Freckles began to settle in, and I was less nervous that either he or they were okay. It was another couple of months before I realized that he could Houdini through the baby gate and get to the cat food… and that’s when he got a little bit too big for the ‘cat door’ and took down the gate.
About a month ago we moved to Seattle, and Freckles now seems to have happily adjusted to life in the city and has been great company for me in exploring our new home. He loves going for walks and seems to make friends wherever we go. Most people think that he’s much younger than his 11 years. In fact, some days he even wants to run instead of walk! He’s my constant companion when I’m home, often following me from room to room and settling next to me or at my feet. He loves attention and belly scratches, and if you’re really special, will show you his butt for a butt/back scratch.
It took about 3 days for him to warm up to the dog walker who takes him out in the afternoon, but now she tells me that he’s such a sweetheart that he’s already her favorite dog. The doorman at the building around the corner knows him, and I’ve encountered people in the elevator and on the street that I don’t know but they all greet him by name! We even once wandered by accident in to the Seattle Seahawk football players getting off their bus downtown and a few of them stopped to pet him and he got a some ‘what a great dog!’ compliments. Freckles, however, other than enjoying the attention, was unimpressed, having no idea who they were…
I have only one of my cats, Linus, now and I think that having Freckles around helped Linus adjust to the loss of his brother. Linus will sit on Freckles when I have the brush, both of them competing for the attention and brushing. Freckles will lick Linus in greeting when we return from a walk (which usually causes Linus to grimace a little), and I’ve caught them curled up together on the bed or the couch asleep.
Freckles is such a love that you can’t not love him once you meet him, and I’m so grateful to Muttville for bringing him into my life. I think that Sherri had true matchmaking instincts of dog to person when she suggested I meet him, and I can’t say enough good things about Muttville – telling everyone about the organization every chance I get!
12/11/13
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'.
