My dogs are my life, plain and simple. I would do anything and everything for them! When I say that overcoming my fear of dogs is one of the greatest things I’ve ever overcome, I truly mean it. When I was three years old I was bit by my mom’s elderly Springer Spaniel. I can remember it vividly to this day. He was standing next to her, and she told me not to go near him because he was not feeling well. Like any inquisitive and defiant toddler, I didn’t listen to her, and proceeded to pet him. He bit me on the arm. Thankfully I was wearing a jacket that day, he didn’t draw blood, but it affected me mentally for a very long time. I was terrified of large dogs from that point on for years.
How I Overcame My Fear Of Dogs
Nearly 10 years later my parents got a Weimaraner, which I was very excited about, but at the same time very scared of! We bought him from a pet shop, which none of us would ever do again. At that time we weren’t aware of puppy mills, but now we know better. I remember meeting him in a small room. He bit a hole through his AKC papers and was just a ball of energy who couldn’t contain it. At that date and time, I overcame my fear of dogs. Somehow I subconsciously knew that even though he had more energy than he knew what to do with, he was not going to hurt me!
How Pet Adoption Has Improved My Life
In 2005 my family adopted a two year old yellow lab named Precious. We changed her name to Lucy, and she turned out to be the greatest girl in the entire world! I’m so thankful we got her that year, as 2005 was one of the hardest years of my life. My parents divorced, and my grandma who had Alzheimer’s disease was living with us. Somehow Lucy knew when we were sad. She was the most devoted, caring and loving dog ever. If I was having a bad day or my mom was having a bad day, she would put her head in our laps and just look at us with her caring, beautiful brown eyes. After everything happened with my parents, I hated being home. Our house always felt like something was missing until we got her. She eased our nerves and brought us joy. Lucy Goosie was absolutely amazing! I’m blessed I had her for so many years. She passed away two years ago, and we still miss her tremendously. Thankfully, I have my dogs Fred, Francesca and Calvin to keep me busy. In fact, Francesca is snoring on my leg as I type!
Why I Believe In Rehoming Pets If You Can No Longer Keep Them
I truly believe in the importance of adopting dogs. I also believe in rehoming dogs, if need be. It’s important to do it the right way though! If you can no longer take care of a pet for any reason, it’s important to take every step needed to ensure they have a safe place to live where they are well cared for. It’s very sad when people don’t take care of their pets and just dump them when they no longer want them or feel they can no longer care for them! When you don’t re-home pets properly, you are putting them in danger and at-risk of death.
My Beloved Rescue Dog, Calvin
On May 1st, 2010 my mom was driving home during the Kentucky Derby (one of my favorite events of the year) when she noticed something on the side of the rural road not too far from the house. She made a quick stop and noticed a dog panting in the heat. She wasn’t able to put him in the car, but thankfully a few people who were driving by helped her do so. We tried to find his owner, but sadly nobody claimed him. We had three dogs at the time – our Labrador Retriever, Lucy; Weimaraner, Fred; and Yorkshire Terrier, Francesca and thought why not add another to our pack?
Since our dog was found during the Kentucky Derby, we decided to name him Calvin after 2010 Derby winner Calvin Borel. It’s the perfect name for him! He’s a tough little guy, just like one of my favorite jockeys. Calvin has been the perfect addition to our family. He is very lovable, a sweetheart, a great watch dog, and very playful.
Calvin is a terrier mix who has a ton of energy! We love spending time outside, especially going for walks to check out the cows across the street. Mr. Calvin doesn’t know what to make of them! He hangs out with me while I work at our flower farm and loves running with Fred and getting into mischief. While it’s sad that Calvin was dumped, I’m so thankful that we found him and that he has such a loving home with us. Not every dog is this lucky. It’s not safe to dump dogs in any area, especially not in rural areas. There are coyotes, mountain lions, and vehicles that travel at high speeds. Why would anyone think it’s humane to ever dump an animal? I just don’t understand!
I can’t tell you how many dogs and cats we have rescued over the years or how many my neighbors have! It breaks my heart that every animal can’t have a loving home. Just last week, we helped a gentleman who lost his home by adopting his duck and six ducklings who are three months old.
How To Help Pets In Need
According to Get Your Pet “7.5 million animals are put in shelters every year, 2.5 of those are from people that had to give up their pet. Of the 7.5 million animals put in shelters, 2.6 million of the animals are euthanized.” These numbers are horrific! Get Your Pet is an online community that helps connect people who aren’t able to keep their pets directly to people who want to adopt them in their region; relieving shelters and saving animals’ lives all at the same time. I have had a chance to check out their website, and it is fantastic. I entered in my zip code and it showed all the dogs and cats that are available in my region. There were quite a few dogs that are pure bred too.
There are many different ways that you can help dogs and cats in need. You can donate money, food and necessities to your local shelter or volunteer. Every month I donate money to a local pet rescue, which is extremely important to me. Let’s not forget how important it is to spay and neuter your pets! Not only does it help prevent unwanted litters from being born, it can help prevent disease. One of the best decisions we ever made was having my Weimaraner neutered. He almost died from prostatitis years ago. Neutering him saved his life.
Please do everything you possibly can to help pets in need! Adopting a dog can be the greatest gift you ever give yourself! It’s said that owning a pet can improve your health and I truly believe it. My pets are my family, they are my life.
Photos of Fred and Calvin That Bring Joy
Here are a few additional photos of Fred and Calvin! Fred loves attention, so I couldn’t just post a few photos. I hope they bring as much joy to you as they do to me!
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