The ad read “Puppies for Sale … six of ‘em. Shih Tzu-poodle mix … four males, two females …adorable little fur balls.” We phoned the breeder, got directions, hopped into the car and drove to see a half-dozen yapping, snapping, six-week old puppies. As walked to the door, my wife cautioned me that we were just there to look. At $200 a pop for a mixed breed dog, it might not be the best deal we could find.
I liked them all; but a feisty little brown guy caught my eye. Then there was the little black one. The owner said the little black one was very people friendly and quite the snuggler. That cinched it. I begged to but them both, but my wife insisted that one was enough. On the way home, we named the little black guy Rudy … Rudy guy.
Rudy had his first meal at his new home in the middle of our den … on the carpet, in front of all the people. Not in the kitchen where he would have to eat alone. At bedtime, I placed a cardboard box on the floor by our bed. We placed warm covers, a small battery-powered radio and a stuffed sock-toy to keep him company. But before the lights were out, Rudy was in the bed with us, prancing around, gnawing at the covers and giving us puppy licks. All night long, he stayed in the middle. All night long, my wife pushed me away fearing that I would roll over and smash the little guy.
Now most of the pups I’ve taken-in kept everyone awake for a night or two. I guess they missed their mama and their furry siblings ‘cause they’d cry and howl to beat the band. However, Rudy didn’t make a sound all night long. When I awoke the next morning, I was startled to find him still in the middle … lying on his back … being very, very still. Too still. Almost in a panic, I called his name and scratched his stomach. He gave a big doggy yawn and started to stir. Our life with Rudy Guy had begun. (more…)

It was August of 1993, my sister had moved to Texas to attend Baylor University. The house seemed so empty. My folks had divorced a couple years before and with my sister gone it was just me and my Mom. It was an odd time. Mom was still trying to find herself now that she was not Mrs. Rick Hartsfield, and I, well, I was a teenager. I was full of emotion, full angst, full of a lot of things. With Heather gone, I was unaware of just how life would shape up to be. Truth is I was lonely, very lonely. I tried to put on a good face, tried to be a \”man\” and not show how I was feeling. Funny thing is, with all that was going on in her heart and mind, my Mom still saw right through the \”mask\” I was wearing. She was able to put aside, if only for a moment, her pain and emptiness and zero in on her child\’s need.
When I was growing up we always had dogs. We had all kinds of dogs. We had a German shepherd, we had mixed breads, and we had an English bulldog. We had just about every dog you could think of. There was a time when my Dad thought we would raise Cocker Spaniels. It seemed like a good idea. Trouble was the first Cocker we got was a few bricks shy of a load. In the end, the Cocker \”experiment\” last about 7 years, with little or no rewards to show.
The back yard was so quiet. No barking, just silence. Honestly, it was kinda refreshing. We had had some tough times with the Cockers. So, the peace was a nice change. However, when Heather left the silence seemed to overtake everything. It sorta crept in from the back yard and filled the house. I must have not hid how uncomfortable it made me to well, because Mom decided enough was enough.
It was a day like any other; summer was coming to a close and school would soon start again. Upon coming home from work one day evening, my Mom told me to head out to the truck.

\”Where are we going?\” I asked.
\”I have to run an errand in Modesto.\” She replied.
\”Can\’t I just stay home while you go?\” I wined.
\”No, you are going.\” She countered.

Annoyed and frustrated, I sat silently as we headed to Modesto. We lived in Oakdale, California, a small rural town of about 10,000 to 12,000 people. The trip from Oakdale to Modesto would take, on average, 15 to 30 minutes depending on what part of town you were headed to. After what seemed to be an eternity, we arrived at a house I was not familiar with.

\”Where are we?\” I groaned.
\”Just stop complaining.\” She fired back at me.

She knocked on the door and a man, who I\’d never seen, greeted us and invited us in. He led us through his home to the back yard. Once we were there I saw the most beautiful Golden Labrador I\’d ever seen. She was thick and broad, just simply a gorgeous dog. Attached to her was a litter of Black puppies. (more…)

Chloe is my Chi/Terr mix 12lb little Mutt Bug.  She saved my heart in many ways and continues too daily.  I am a true dog lover and appreciate all animals.  I awoke one morning…turned to my boyfriend John and said.\”I am adopting a dog today\”, and I did.  It had been ten years since my last dog that I had to give up for adoption due to housing.  It broke my heart in ways I can not explain.

Finally I felt ok to get another dog and when I did Chloe came to me.  It turned out that I ended up saving her life as well.  She was a stray that was very sick and on her way out.  We took her in, spent a lot of worth while money on her and she is super healthy and happy to this day still looking over my heart and keeping it safe.  I would like to share more about Chloe as time with her is my most memorable and precious moments.  To every dog lover out there…Cheers!!

Christine from CA

This is a Christmas story that is filled with love, miricles, and the reality of life. Buddy was a Black Lab English Shepard mix who joined our family on Christmas Eve 2004.

My son who was 15yrs old at the time was recoving from a horrible accident that nearly took his life and unfortunately took the life of his 7 yr old sister. He was broken on the inside and out, both mentally and physically. He was learning to walk again and by Christmas eve was just starting to use platform crutches to make his way around. My son still had cast on both arms and on one leg. he was still on blood thinners and required oxygen at night, however, when he was in intensive care the summer before, I promised him that when he was able to walk with crutches I would buy him a puppy to keep him company on those long winter nights. Well, just so happens that day was Christmas Eve.

My eldest daughter and I loaded up Camryn in the car and headed for the grocery store to get some last minute items for Dinner when we first met Buddy. He was in front of the store in a card board box along with about 8 other puppies. We saw the puppies and my son was taken immediately by Buddy’s eyes and the pityful look on his face. He wasn’t jumping around like the others, but sat in the corner of the box looking rather hopeless and scared. I knew immediately that my son related to him because being a former football player and very active teenage boy who had spent the last six months in a hospital bed, the surgeries and dealing with the loss of his baby sister had taken their toll. We didn’t have a lot of money that Christmas because I had to quit my job to stay home with my son until he was better, so the $ 50.00 that they were wanting for Buddy seemed like a lot of money for a dog (more…)

I understand that your daughter is allergic.  So you need to identify what breeds are appropriate.  Then you have three very good options…
1) Put the word out to all of the shelters in the US that you are looking for that breed (not all shelter dogs are mutts).
2) Contact the specific breed rescue organization for the breed you are looking for.
3) Consider fostering the dog (breed specific) of a service man or woman serving our country overseas.  What a great lesson to teach your girls!

Lynn from VA