I love dogs. All dogs deserve to be loved whether they came from a breeder or a shelter, but there’s definitely something special when you rescue a dog instead of buying one. The story of my dog, Pucci, is one that’s pretty much a miracle and I’d love to share it with you.
I should take a step back and tell you about my dog history to put this into context. When I was younger, my family had a Pomeranian named Yogi. He was given to us by a relative that was a breeder. I didn’t understand the difference between getting a rescue and buying a dog at the time, I loved Yogi all the same. That’s when my love for Pomeranians started.
I always wanted a dog of my own so when I got out of college, I adopted Bear, a black Pom from a NKLA Pet Adoption Fair. He was 10 years old and when I saw him at the fair, I knew he was the one. I had him until he was 15 years old.
While I had Bear, I also had Lilo, a tan toy Pomeranian. Lilo came from an accidental pregnancy. A family had a female Pom and they would sometimes babysit a male Pom, and before you know it – three more were coming. They couldn’t keep them all so they gave them to new homes.
I had Lilo from when she was six months old to when she was 10 years old. When Lilo was six, I decided to volunteer with her as a therapy dog. She had to undergo a three-week training program with K9s Only that helped her pass the certification program. We would visit patients at nursing homes, orphanages, kids with cancer and at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
Lilo passed away last July, after having seizures and put on seizure medication. I was devastated when she died, and was not looking to adopt another dog so soon. Also, my fiance and I were leaving to hike Machu Picchu in Peru during the holidays, so even though I had started going to the shelter and looking online to adopt another dog, I told myself that I would really start “seriously” looking when we got back, which was in January.
The week that we were leaving for Peru, my co-worker, Rory told me about this video shoot happening at work. The shoot was for a dating show, where the guys were going to try to use cute dogs to pick up other guys at Runyon Canyon. In our morning meeting, Rory told me that they were working with a rescue to provide the cute dogs and one was a Pomeranian.
I decided to go meet Poochie (that was his name at the time) to see if he was my next dog-to-be. When I saw him, he was adorable and we formed an instant connection. This picture is from the first ten minutes of meeting.
His story was that his owner was an elderly man who was being put into a nursing home by his family and he was not able to take the dog with him. Poochie was taken to the shelter by the elderly man’s family and was soon after rescued by Wags and Walks. Lots of people were interested in him, but many were turned off by his age, he’s eight years old. I had adopted a ten-year old dog before and that didn’t bother me at all.
After consulting with my fiancé, we decided to adopt him. We also decided to change his name to Pucci. I picked him up the very next day and took him with me to go shopping for dog food and supplies. I had given Lilo’s things away to my aunt who also had a dog so I had to get some new things. I knew that I wanted to feed him CANIDAE Grain Free PURE, as that’s what I fed all my other dogs. CANIDAE is grain free and made with fresh protein and whole foods. They are made without any by-products, corn, wheat or soy.
We planned to board him while we were in Peru for our trip. It turns out he didn’t know any commands so we decided to board him at K9s only where my previous dog, Lilo, received her training to be certified as a therapy dog. Usually the program is three weeks long, but since Pucci didn’t know any commands and was very stubborn due to his age, they had to keep him for four weeks!
When we got back from Peru, we went to visit Pucci who was in boarding/training school for two weeks. The trainer said that he was doing really well and his biggest challenge was learning patience. Since he was eight years old and didn’t know any commands, he was very stubborn! Other than that, he was well socialized with other dogs, perfectly potty-trained and was truly the best lap dog. So here are 10 reasons why I recommend for you to rescue a dog:
1. You don’t have to go through the puppy years: potty training, feeding schedules, separation anxiety.
2. You can adopt a dog that’s already house-trained and sometimes trained. One of my rescue dogs, Bear, was already trained. I had to put Lilo and Pucci through training but it was a great investment. See Pucci demonstrating those skills!
3. You can adopt a puppy if you want to, there’s plenty of them at the shelter or rescue.
4. You can save a life. Around 2.7 million dogs are euthanized each year! Who can resist a face like that?
5. You can save money with low-cost adoption fees.
6. You won’t be supporting a puppy mill.
7. You can still get a purebred dog, if that’s what you are looking for!
8. You will help stop overpopulation.
9. You will be happier.
10.You’ll receive unconditional love.
Having a dog is such a life-enriching experience. The benefits of having a dog include lower blood pressure, lifting depression, easing the pain of loneliness, giving you a reason to get outside and go for a walk, and countless more. So what are you waiting for? Your best friend is waiting for you to pick them up right now.
About Canidae
CANIDAE is Pet Food Made By Pet People. It is independent and family-owned since 1996. CANIDAE Grain Free PURE uses simple recipes for sensitive pets, and each formula is made with fresh meat and whole food. All Grain Free PURE formulas feature fresh meat or fish first, paired with whole ingredients like sweet potatoes, peas, lentils, or chickpeas—never corn, wheat or soy. Formulas include: PURE Elements with fresh lamb, PURE Sea with fresh salmon, PURE Land with fresh bison, and PURE Sky with fresh duck. Use this coupon code.
This post is sponsored by CANIDAE. All opinions are my own.
