Hope, now Bella, was rescued in 2007 from a horrific situation of abuse, neglect and cruelty.  She was skin and bones upon arrival and very insecure.  When I pet her for the first time, my heart ached…she loved it so much, she just wanted more.  She would paw at me, as if to say “Please…don’t stop”.  Shortly after arrival, we posted her on Petfinder as a special case.  We posted her story and told the public that she would ONLY be adopted to the perfect home – and if it took a lifetime to find, we would wait.  This girl, after what she had been through, deserved the best life that a human could possibly offer. 

Within 24 hours of posting her story, Terri walked into Petco asking to see her.  I explained that she was not at Petco, and that because of her situation, we were very picky about the type of home she would go to.  She told me about her and Michael’s previous dog, Misty, – and how they had done everything they could to make her final days comfortable for her.  She told me the stories of how they would take her out on their boat – for rides in the golf cart – and how she was their child, and that they were so heartbroken that she had passed.  I left Petco, picked up Hope, and brought her back for a meet and greet.  She and Michael agreed that they wanted to adopt her.

We scheduled a home visit and Hope made herself comfortable immediately.  All was well on it’s way to being the perfect home.  The following day, we took Hope to the vet for an exam, and it was determined that she was Heartworm Positive.  Dr. Wearing (who also treated Misty) called Michael and explained the situation.  I held my breath, praying that they would still want to follow through with the adoption.  When he hung up the phone, Dr. Wearing looked at me and said “Michael told me to tell you that they don’t want her….JUST KIDDING – he wanted me to mess with you a little bit!”.  In actuality, not only did they want her, but they wanted to pay for her treatment and take her home immediately to start putting on some weight in preparation for her treatment.  Hope went to her new home that day, made herself comfortable in one of her 4 new beds that were purchased for her, and started her new life as Bella.

Fast forward to 2010, Treatment went well and she is clear of heartworms now.  She has put on quite a bit of weight, and has become a very secure and confident dog.  She loves to ride in the golf cart, still paws at you when she wants to be petted, and loves her family more than anything in this world.   When Michael and Terri inquired about Darcy, one of our newest rescues, we were all so excited that they chose to adopt once again.

Darcy, a 2 year young beagle mix, showed up at the Cookeville Putnam County Animal Shelter.  In an effort to fill our spay/neuter appointments, we ran to the shelter on a Monday morning to pull 2 females that we could get in for surgery that day.  The irony of this is that I originally had pulled two dogs out, put them in the car after getting clearence, but after the shelter staff double checked the paperwork, one of them that I had pulled had a hold on her. We walked back through the kennel runs (it is very hard to pick just one to pull!) and the director pointed at little Darcy and asked if I would take her.  I did a quick temperament test, which she passed with flying colors (SO SWEET!) and she went off to be spayed. 

We know nothing of Darcy’s past….she is very sweet, submissive and fearful of loud noises.  When she first arrived, she would duck and cringe everytime she heard a car go by.  She got over that quickly.  She loves to give hugs and loves to be petted.  She would curl up in your lap or on the couch and never move if it was up to her.  She likes to stand up straight in the air on her back legs…and she holds perfectly still!  She appeared to be housetrained for the most part as well…someone loved this dog at one time, and now she was about to be loved by a wonderful family for the rest of her life. 

There was no long winded application or home visit this time – rather a visit to bring her to them and to reunite with Bella for a bit.  Bella is a bit jealous already, but she likes her new sister.  Bella was sure to tell Darcy, though, that the beds are hers – even the new one that was purchased specifically for Darcy!  Darcy did not mind…she jumped on the couch, curled up with her new Mom and Dad, and started her life as….I believe they are still deciding on a name for her! 

Congratulations and Thank You, Michael and Terri.  We as a group wish that all of our adoptions were this pleasant!