I am happy to share my..OUR..experience with Muttville and friends:
Last September (2021) my wife Lori-Ann and I decided that waaaay too much time had passed between our having a dog in our house. Our last dog has passed away several years ago and while we frequently had our “granddog” visit/stay with us, it was NOT the same as having a dog as a permanent resident in our home.
We searched and visited several local adoption agencies and shelters, and while every dog was perfect, we just didn’t perfectly resonate with any of them.
Enter Muttville. You had a dog who was being fostered, a relatively young mixed breed goofball with eye issues, Polly. Honestly, it was love at first sight for both of us. We agreed to the initial visit, drove to her foster home and perfect! ….or so we thought.
On her very first day at our house, Polly bolted into the neighborhood, sans collar, tags, or anyway she could possibly know where she was. We were hysterical and beyond frantic. We posted on every lost pet site, contacted local vets, shelters and police agencies. I did NOT sleep that night but drove around for hours and probably logged 200 miles. We had reports of Polly sightings as far away from Berkeley as San Leandro and Pinole. Then, around 11am the next morning, a young man called me and said he read our lost dog report (LostMyDoggie) and thought it might be her. She was about 2 miles away..it WAS her, lost, scared, muddy, hungry..but she was safe. Needles to say, we will never let her out of our sight again. And she was none the worst for wear, other than being frightened beyond her experience.
Fast forward to today: Polly’s glaucoma has worsened to the point where she has to have her eyes removed. While this is traumatic for all of us, Polly is still a trooper. She will soldier on and through because she is just..resilient. More than I ever could be.
People tell us that Polly is lucky to have such loving and caring parents. I always disagree and counter that WE are the lucky ones. Polly has blessed us with love, lunacy, loyalty and everything in between. And behind it all, we have Muttville to thank. This amazing organization has, and does, connect lost humans like Lori and me, with dogs, lost or otherwise, like Polly.
I cannot thank Muttville enough. Truly doing things for the universal good.
Todd and Lori-Ann Wagner
8/17/22
