Felix the Cat… Er… Dog

Shortly after my childhood dog passed away at 19 years of age, I wanted to get another pup to share my life with. I turned to Craigslist, posting a request saying I was looking for a dog to adopt. Within the first 24 hours, I had tons of emails, but one caught my eye.

 PHOTO: MANDY FROM ALBUQUERQUE

A woman emailed me saying she was trying to get rid of a dog. We met the next day. She brought a little dog in a cage and explained that she had originally bought him from a breeder because she wanted a purse dog. Not being full Pomeranian, he quickly got too big for that, which meant she didn’t want him, and she mentioned he spent most of his time in that cage. I took him and left.

At home, it quickly became apparent that he’d lived his whole life in that cage. He was completely unsocialized and had no leg strength. Judging by his teeth and muzzle, he wasn’t the 4-month-old puppy she claimed he was, either. I gave him space, love, and cookies, and soon enough he started to come out of his shell.

PHOTO: BLACK AND WHITE DOG. PIXABAY/MYLENE2401

I lived with a roommate at the time who had a cat. My new puppy would run around trying to copy his feline friend, trying to walk on top of the couch and making weird noises to try and meow, which was hilarious. I named him Felix for his coloring and his identity crisis.

Four years later, he’s my best friend. He has gotten me through some incredibly hard times. He’ll cuddle me when I’m sad or sick, insist on walks and play time when I’m lazy, and overall, take care of me as much as I care for him. I love that cute little face!

Story submitted by Mandy from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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A Great Dog Dumped Twice

My colleague George at work knew that we had just said goodbye to my beautiful Doberman “Bear” after five great years. We had adopted “Bear” from my in-laws and he had been wonderfully happy for the last five years of his life. But Bear had a stroke at 18 years and passed away, much to our sorrow.

We needed a new dog, and George had heard of a great dog who needed a home. “Kobie” was a Newfoundland-Labrador cross. She was a beautiful and intelligent girl who had been adopted and returned twice to a local animal rescue shelter. She was fortunate enough to be in a no-kill shelter, but she was emotionally hurt by being turned in to a shelter twice, not knowing what she had done wrong.