My Experience Adopting A Rescue Dog
Like I wrote in a previous blog, I haven’t always been a dog person. However, I have always been someone who likes helping those in need, which is why I began volunteering at St. Francis Dog Shelter in 2017. I also hoped volunteering at an animal shelter would help me get over my fear of dogs, a fear I’d had pretty much my entire life.
To volunteer with St. Francis, I had to undergo a small, but helpful training session. During this course, I learned how to safely handle the different animals, the different tasks that need to be done everyday, and the ins and outs of the facility. Afterwards, they gave me a tour of the place, where I met all the different dogs and cats. There were so many different dogs in need, and my fear was almost instantly gone. They let me play with a few, and even take some on short walks. I was still a little bit scared, but the dogs didn’t care. They were so happy and loving, and I think just genuinely excited to be playing and enjoying themselves. I spent a few months volunteering, until I knew I was ready for a pup of my own!
I told my fiancée, and he was thrilled. He’s been a dog person his whole life, so he was ready, and now, so was I. We spent a couple months doing our research about what type of dog we wanted, and how to care for one, but we knew one thing for sure; it had to be a dog from the shelter. We made a few visits overall, but we knew in our hearts after visit #1 who the right pup for us was.
He was a small little Black Lab Mix who was going to be around 40lbs. full grown, and his name was Baloo (now Jax).
Nearly four years later, I now am the proud momma of a 100lbs. Black Lab-Dane mix, and I couldn’t be happier. We went through lots of ups and downs (literally, since he hops around like a rabbit), including potty training and behavioral training, but now he is like my child, and I would give up the world for him. So, if anybody reading this is curious if adopting is the right decision for them, I strongly encourage you to give it a shot! There are so many animals in the world that need a home, and you could be the one to change their life! For information, please check out a local dog shelter near you. I would highly recommend St. Francis which is where we found the 3rd member of our family. Feel free to check them out at https://stfrancis-care.org
