Happy stories about how dogs found a home

Christine Barber was not going to adopt a small puppy from the shelter. She and her husband Brian work full time and have two sons. But two years ago, their beagle, Lucky, died of cancer, and they missed their dog very much. So, with many happy stories about adopting and rescuing adult dogs, they decided to find a new friend for themselves at a local animal shelter in Erie, Pennsylvania. They periodically came there with their sons to find out how to get a dog and see if there was an animal suitable for their family.

“There was something wrong with every dog ​​we saw there,” Christine says. “Some didn’t like kids, others had too much energy, or they didn’t get along with other dogs… there was always something we didn’t like.” So Kristin wasn’t too optimistic when they arrived at the ANNA shelter one late spring. But as soon as they were inside, a pup with bright eyes and a curly tail caught the attention of the family. In a second Christine found herself holding him in her arms.  

“She came over and sat on my lap and it looked like she felt at home. She just snuggled up to me and put her head down…things like that,” she says. The dog, who was only three months old, appeared at the shelter after someone who cares brought her…. She was sick and weak.

“She was obviously homeless for a long time, on the street,” says Ruth Thompson, director of the shelter. “She was dehydrated and needed treatment.” Shelter staff brought the puppy back to life, sterilized it, and—when no one came for her—began looking for a new home for her. And then the Barbers found her.

“Something just clicked for me,” Kristin says. She was made for us. We all knew it.” Lucian, their five-year-old son, named the dog Pretzel. That same night she drove home with the Barbers.

Finally the family is complete again

Now, just a few months later, the story of how Pretzel found her home has come to an end, and she has become a full-fledged member of the family. Children love to play and cuddle with her. Kristin’s husband, a police officer, says he’s been less stressed since Pretzel came to their house. What about Christine? From the moment they first met, the puppy has not left her for a second.

“She is very, very attached to me. She always follows me around,” says Kristin. She just wants to be with me all the time. I think it’s because she was an abandoned child… she’s just nervous if she can’t be there for me. And I love her endlessly too.” One of the ways Pretzel shows his enduring affection is by chewing on Christine’s shoe, oddly enough, always on the left. According to Kristin, the shoes of other family members are never targeted by the dog. But then she laughs.

“I decided to take it as a great excuse to constantly buy myself new shoes,” she says. Kristin admits that adopting a dog from a shelter is very risky. But things worked out well for her family, and she believes other dog adoption stories could end just as happily for those willing to take charge.

“The perfect time will never come,” she says. “You can change your mind because now is not the right time. But there will never be a perfect moment for this. And you have to remember that it’s not about you, it’s about this dog. They sit in this cage and all they want is love and a home. So even if you’re not perfect and you’re scared and unsure, remember it’s heaven for them to be in a home where they can get the love and attention they need.”

But not everything is so rosy

With Pretzel, too, there are difficulties. On the one hand, she “gets into absolutely all the trouble,” says Christina. In addition, she immediately pounces on food. This habit, according to Kristin, may be due to the fact that the small dog was starving when she lived on the street. But these were only minor problems, and even less significant than Christine and Brian expected when they thought about adopting a dog from a shelter.

“Most of these dogs have some sort of ‘baggage’,” Christine says. It’s called “rescue” for a reason. You need to be patient. You need to be kind. You have to understand that these are animals that need love, patience, education and time.”

Ruth Thompson, director of the ANNA shelter, says the staff is working hard to find the right family for dogs like Pretzel so that dog adoption stories have a happy ending. The shelter staff encourages people to research information about the breed before adopting a dog, prepare their home, and make sure that everyone who lives in the home is fully motivated and ready to adopt a pet.

“You don’t want someone to come in and choose a Jack Russell Terrier just because he’s small and cute, and then it turns out that what they really wanted was a lazy homebody,” says Thompson. “Or for the wife to come to pick up the dog, and her husband seems to think it’s a bad idea. You and we must take into account absolutely everything, otherwise the dog will again end up in a shelter in search of another family. And it’s sad for everyone.”

In addition to researching breed information, seriousness, and preparing their home, people interested in adopting a dog from a shelter should keep the following in mind:

• Future: A dog can live for many years. Are you ready to take responsibility for her for the rest of her life?
• Caring: Do you have enough time to give her the physical activity and attention she needs?
• Expenses: Training, care, veterinary services, food, toys. All this will cost you a pretty penny. Can you afford it?
• Responsibility: Regular visits to the veterinarian, spaying or castration of your dog, as well as regular preventive treatments, incl. vaccinations are all the responsibility of a responsible pet owner. Are you ready to take it on?

For the Barbers, the answer to those questions was yes. Kristin says Pretzel is perfect for their family. “She filled a void we didn’t even know we had,” Kristin says. “Every day we are happy that she is with us.”