Madison's Mommy Needs a Home!

​Late June of last year I received an email from Susan at Eleventh Hour Rescue passing along an email from a Georgia woman and her husband. In the email, Chris Garcia introduced herself as the foster mom of some puppies that she fostered until they were old enough to be sent to Eleventh Hour Rescue in NJ. She was looking to get in touch with those that adopted the puppies, in hopes to see some pictures and find out if we were interested in a puppy reunion.

Getting in touch with Chris was such a blessing. She showed me pictures of Madison as a puppy, videos of her with her siblings, and gave me an insight into Maddie's background before she came to me. I was especially happy to learn that Maddie had been fostered before going to Eleventh Hour Rescue, and not found as a stray on the street, as I had originally thought. I even got to see pictures of her mom, Lovey Dovey. That was quite the eye opener - I didn't see much similiarity and was as confused as ever as to what breeds Madison had in her.

Chris and I now talk reguarly on Facebook and I bombarb her (as I do all my Facebook followers) with pictures of Madison and her new brother Jax. It was through talking with Chris that I found out Madison's mommy, Lovey Dovey who was adopted locally, was returned when the owners moved and couldn't take her with them.

Roxy, known as Lovey Dovey when she was rescued from Animal Control in May 2012, is about 4 years old. According to Madison's DNA test through Wisdom Panel, Lovey Dovey is likely a boxer/miniature long-haired dachshund mixed breed. She is a really sweet girl, loves to play (likes to run around with their pittie) but is also fine just laying on the softa. She has been spayed, up-to-date on her shots, current on heart worm preventative and flea and tick. She is house broken and is good with other dogs and kids. Unsure about how she is with cats, as Chris doesn't have any, but they do have chickens which she just leaves alone. Chris and her husband are looking for a GOOD home for Lovey Dovey. If you are seriously interested, please send me an email (there is a form on the About Me page) and I will put you in touch with Chris.

Snuggles on a Sunday Morning

They're not allowed on the bed (Jordan's rule, not mine), but Jordan was away last night and it was just so lonely without him, how could I resist? Jordan, if you're reading this, sowwy :( 

A Trip To Puerto Rico [Kind Of...]

I rescued Madison roughly 10 months into dating my boyfriend Jordan. (Don't feel too sorry for him, he knew I was a crazy dog lady getting into it, he'd be forewarned!) As much fun as it was for Madison to still live in my parents house with two other sisters she could annoy play with day in and day out, it wasn't as much fun for myself, or my boyfriend who lived with his parents, as well. 

Taking a break for some treats

Around the start of the new year, we began talking about living together. It took us quite awhile to find an apartment not only that we both loved, but that accepted dogs, and had a weight limit that Madison did not exceed. Although a bit pricier than we wanted, Jordan and I found an apartment complex that we not only loved but that accepted dogs and had NO weight limit! WHAATTTT! (It had breed restrictions which I find 100% completely absurdly ridiculous, but more about that in another post). We FINALLY moved in to our new apartment in April 2013 with Maddie Boots happy to have her mommy and daddy under one roof. 

I love it here!

Shortly after moving in, however, I started talking about rescuing another dog. Jordan had already been enduring my "extreme love of dogs" (that's a nice way to put it, right?) for over a year at that point, and wasn't exactly sure that getting another dog was the best idea. I went back and forth on the idea, A) becuase we lived in an apartment and I felt bad enough having Maddie cooped up in it, and B) Madison and I were soo close and she was so attached to me I was afraid she might not like having another dog if it were here to stay.

Still, it quickly became evident that Maddie needed a sister to play with. She may love me with all that she has, but she also loves other dogs and getting to play with them at the dog park roughly 5 nights a week just was not cutting it. She loved it there, even when she was too tired to do anything, she really never wanted to leave. 

Can we PLEASE get another puppy?

I started crusading for a second puppy more and more. By December of 2013, Jordan surprised me for our 2-year anniversary with the best gift I (or Madison) could imagine. Inside a beautiful gift bag with lots of tissue paper, was .... a dog bowl (what? Madison already had a bowl), and dog toys (awww, Boyfriend bought toys for Madison! Wait, its OUR anniversary!). Seriously, those were the thoughts going through my head. It took me longer than I'd care to admit to realize what was really going on (I told Jordan afterwards that he really should have video recorded my reaction). 

That was December 15, and my school district's Winter Break that year began the afternoon of  December 20th and went through January 2nd. It. Was. Awesome! We decided that would be the perfect time to take home a new puppy. (Jordan wanted a puppy rather than an "older" dog). It would give the new puppy time to bond with Jordan and I while I was off, get used to the house and our daily routines, give me time to start training it.... This couldn't have worked out any better! 

So, I began looking. There are sooo many puppies in shelters that need a good home, I thought it'd be a cinch. No problem. Piece of cake. Right? Wrong. It just was NOT working out for us. Eleventh Hour Rescue, St. Huberts, Mount Pleasant, nothing. Again, I was distraught. How could this not be working out for us? It had to! The timing was perfect! I can't afford to waste even a day! Yes, tears were shed. What can I say, I'm a child. 

My friends were super supportive and helpful in trying to find a puppy for us. With our restrictions (we wanted one right away, a puppy, a girl, in NJ, etc), it wasn't so easy. I looked online for hours, looking often at Pet Finder and trying to find a puppy that would fit. If you've never done that, it's so hard! I love rescues like Eleventh Hour and St. Huberts because they have the animals there in person so you can meet them and see if they would be a right fit, if they have the right temperament, and so on. How can you do that online?! 

Luck was on our side though. I found two beautiful girl pups - Venus and Ivory and shot over an email to the rescue group ARF of Mercer. Unfortunately, both little pups had already been adopted. BUT, they had another liter with six females that we were going to check out first thing in the morning. At that point it was well past midnight, and I was so excited I could barely sleep.

Jordan, Madison and I drove the hour trip south to a large piece of land that had a barn with lots of animals around. We could see horses in the barn, and about four dogs greeted us as we got out of the car. Inside one of the little houses, there were sectioned off liters of puppies, and they were adorable. At first glance, I liked the little brown one with a dark nose, simply becuase it was adorable. I later found out Jordan was thinking the same thing. We then found out his name was Toby. Ugh, I really wanted a girl dog! The other one was cute as well, she was named Sheila. None of that mattered though, once the little doggy flap popped up and in waltzed a beautiful leopard/hynea/fox looking dog with a weird brindle/spooted coat with a dark muzzle and ears that stood up on end. I knew then, that was our dog. Again, we found out, "that's Buster! He's just great". ARGH! Was I not meant to have a girl dog?

Madison, Sheila, and "Buster" 

"Buster"

Sheila

I took Madison out of my car and let her wander around the land. It was quite a long driveway and Madison was so well behaved I knew she would stay near. We thought we'd let her sniff around and then introduce her to the puppies and see how they all do together.

One-by-one we took out the puppies. Sheila was weary at first, but then was interested in Madison. Toby was fearful of Madison, and barked and ran away from her. Madison felt the same way about both of them - unconcerned. Puppies? Been there, sniffed that. But horses? And other interesting, weird, animal smells? Now THAT is where it's at! When Buster came out, he wanted to play with Madison, but he also didn't mind when she ignored him, and he'd go off and sniff his own grounds as well. He was also a little bit bigger than his brother and sister, which we thought would be a good fit for Madison, weighing in at 62 pounds. I was sold. Jordan felt the same way. On December 22, 2013, I threw caution to the wind, and adopted a baby boy!

Our family is complete! Smiles all around

Talking with the two awesome women who rescue these puppies, we found out that they go to Puerto Rico to rescue their dogs. These dogs are known as SATO's, which is Puerto Rican slang for feral dogs. They are obviously mutts, and were brought to the United States to get vetted and find a furever home. 

Going to his fur-ever home!

That played a role when deciding on what Buster's new name would be. Jordan wanted him to have a middle name like Madison (Madison Boots), and I wanted it to be meaninful. We both liked the name Jax and to remember his heritage, we named him Jaxson Rico. 

Jax is quite the handful. Madison was such an easy puppy to care for, so smart and picked up on everything so quickly. That's not to say that Jax isn't also very smart. But trying to potty train a puppy when it has to survive an elevator ride down the apartment building is not an easy task. Nor is having a CRAZY downstairs neighbor (more on that in another post), where we're constantly afraid to make any noise in our apartment and have to stop him from running around. Yet Jax has fit in to our apartment, our lives, and our hearts in a cinch. Madison is undoubtly the love of his life, but he is also a mama's boy (or daddy's boy when mommy isn't around!) and doesn't like to be left alone, even if you're in the other room. He is the sillest, dopiest, craziest pup I know, and I love him to pieces, as does Madison. Having a partner-in-crime is exactly what Madison needed. She loves to wrestle with him, and is incredibly tolerant of his habit of sitting on top of her. She teaches him the ways of the house, and he keeps her on her feet. They're two best friends.

It's a perfect fit

Rough-housing

My toy! No, MY toy!

ADOPT, Don't Shop!

In my first post, on where my full-fledged, crazy dog lady-ness began, I talked about my first rescue dog, Madison Boots. With some bumps in the road (see: How It All Began... ), I adopted her from Eleventh Hour Rescue (EHR). Eleventh Hour Rescue is a non-profit, volunteer-based rescue that rescues cats and dogs from death row (hence the name).

I am in no way affiliated with them, but am forever grateful to them for adopting to me my best friend. If you are looking for a new family member, please consider checking them out at www.ehrdogs.org. They have a slew of puppies, kittens, dogs and cats of all ages that are just waiting for their furever homes.

Madison Boots, Eleventh Hour Rescue alum

How It All Began...

Growing up, my family had always gotten our dogs from a pure-bred breeder. I knew early on that I wanted to have 10 dogs when I got older. (Don't worry! I quickly realized that was excessive... and lowered it to 5. Much more reasonable!) I always thought I'd get a yellow lab from a pure-bred breeder. Having labs growing up, I knew labs were family-friendly dogs. Also, I would overhear my mom talking to her friend from the neighborhood who got her dog from the pet store. Her friend would talk about all the complications they were having - the poor dog was always so sick. At that time, I thought buying from a pet store was the same as rescuing. I wasn't aware of puppy mills and all the horrible things dogs go through. I grew up thinking breeders were the smart, and essentially the only, choice I'd have.

Zzzzz

That all changed one fateful September day in 2012. I was leaving my boyfriends parents' house when I got a phone call from my mom. "Could you please stop by Pet Smart on your way home to pick up dog food? We're almost out". My response? "UGGGGHHHHH", (such a doll, aren't I?).

Walking towards the back of Pet Smart where the food is kept, I heard music to my ears - puppy yips and dogs barking! I found a built-in adoption center for Eleventh Hour Rescue (EHR). After spending wayyy too much time looking at all their adorable puppies and dogs and getting teary-eyed, I picked up the dog food, and went home. 

Bach, an Eleventh Hour Rescue alumni

My mom quickly regretted asking me to stop off at Pet Smart, as I did not stop talking about all the animals I saw. In particular, a husky/shepard mix named Dodger had my heart. I found it weird since A) he wasn't a puppy, and B) he was a boy. I've always been a puppy lover, and always wanted girl dogs. But Dodger was the only dog not getting up to go towards the front of his cage to be pet when people walked by. He looked sad to be in the cage, but when I stopped and put my hand up to the cage, he came closer to give me kisses while his tail wagged and wagged. I instantly felt a connection to him. I made that painfully clear to my parents over the next few days. 

my "sister" Gracie with Dodger

I also went back to the Pet Smart EHR adoption center and filled out an application to volunteer. I started volunteering whenever I could. At that time I was working part-time as a special education aide and substitute at an elementary school and taking night-time graduate courses at Centenary College. Yet whatever free time I could find, I'd go to EHR to volunteer.

One day I drove there with only 30 minutes or so to spare before my graudate course. I don't know why I bothered driving there when I didn't have much time to donate, but boy was I glad I did! I found out that night that Dodger was adopted, and would be leaving the next day. Heartbroken as I was, (I really thought I could convince my parents to get a third dog, despite their saying that 2 dogs was enough), I was so happy for Dodger to be going to a fur-ever home, and was so happy I got the chance to say goodbye.

Don't get sad for me, it gets better, I promise. One Saturday (okay, I know exactly what day it was - October 13, 2012), I had been volunteering for 5 hours. Weekends are pretty hectic at EHR, many puppies and dogs arrive, and this Saturday was no different. I of course wanted them all, and inbetween taking the bigger dogs out for walks, would check out the puppies, watching them in the bigger play area to see what their temperament was like. I knew that if I could find a dog with the right temperament to get along with our two dogs, Zoey and Brooklynn, that my mom would cave.

It took some time -- many, if not most, of the puppies were adopted that day. But I found two puppies who I thought would be great. One was black with white paws (Raven) and one was black and white with longer fur (Princess, I think?). I called my mom and she came down when I was done volunteering. She liked the black one with white paws the best (Raven licked her, which to my mom meant that Raven liked her). She told me I should have my dad come with our dogs and see how they do meeting, "but no promises!". I knew I was in.

We went home and talked to my dad, and then I promptly drove back to the Pet Smart with my dad, Zoey, and Brooklynn. We all went into the meet-and-greet room and the black puppy with white paws joined us. She got along GREAT with my dogs. Zoey was happy to play with her, and Brooklynn didn't pay her much attention (which is a good thing, because sometimes Brooklynn gets afraid of other dogs and can snap at them). My dad was convinced, called my mom to get the official okay, and it was time to take home my first, very own puppy! My application had been approved and I was off to find a new collar and leash for my black puppy with the white paws.

True love

Unfortunately it proved to not be that easy. There were some problems I experienced with one of co-managers there, who just didn't seem to like me, and wouldn't adopt Raven to my family and I. She left a note to the other co-manager (they switched shifts by the time I left volunteering and came back with my dad and dogs) to not adopt any dogs to me.To say I was devestated was an understatement. Putting Raven back into her crate, when we both thought she was going to her furever home was heartbreaking. I later received a phone call from this not-to-be-named co-manager to explain why I wasn't getting a dog. I then had the pleasure of being talked down to by this girl who was younger than I was. "You're acting too fast", "I don't think you're being responsible", "I'm not sure you've thought this through", "She isn't going to a puppy forever, she estimated to get up to 80 lbs, she will get bigger, you know". WAIT, hold the phone, puppies get bigger?! Who knew?! Certainly not my parents and I, who had taken care of three puppies at this point. And wait, I was rushing it? Most people come in to the adoption center, find one dog, do a meet and greet, and take it home 5 minutes later (granted their application had been approved). I was doing research - I was looking to find a dog that woudl fit in with my family, that would have the right temperament so that all our dogs would get along. So that at all cost I could avoid taking a puppy home only to return it.

It was not only insulting, but saddening to think that a homeless puppy would not go to a good home because of this girl. That was my motivation and goal in writing an email to the founder of Eleventh Hour Rescue -- simply to explain what had occured, and how I thought it a shame that all the hard work so many people at Eleventh Hour Rescue do for these dogs could be off-put by this one girl. Honestly? I didn't think I would hear back for a few days, maybe weeks. This woman must be insanely busy with all she does for these helpless dogs. I didn't expect to get Raven. Yeah, black dogs don't get adopted as often as lighter-colored dogs, but she was a puppy, a seemingly well-behaved puppy, and I had a sinking feeling I wouldn't see her again.

I heard back within hours. Amongst apologizing for the incident, Linda let me know that Raven wouldn't be adopted to anyone else, and that I could go back and get her if I was still interested. IF I was still interested?! Of course I was! My mom, trying to cheer me up through my fits of tears, suggested I go to a breeder and pick out a puppy that way, but I couldn't. Not after seeing all those dogs that needed homes. I wanted to do my part to help the over-crowding in shelters. I wanted to rescue a dog that needed a home as much as I wanted to give it a home. So of course I went back first thing the next morning and picked up MY puppy, MY black puppy with white paws, MY Madison Boots. 

Car ride! Fresh air! Fur-ever home! Yay!

Madison is absolutely everything I ever wanted in my own dog, and more. She is intelligent yet silly (my boyfriend likes to call her dopey dog), playful yet snuggly, outgoing yet independent, loving and fiercely loyal. I truly believe she knows I rescued her, and she has shown me her gratitude every day by loving me with all she has.

Madison's first night home, enjoying the fresh air and the land that is now all her's to run on

Do you really have to take pictures of me? I just want to run around!!

SO much more comfortable than a cage!