Adopting A Dog? Read THE CHOSEN PUPPY First
Who doesn't love spring? OK allergy sufferers aside...who doesn't love spring? There is just so much going on, and so much to like about this time of year.
One thing I'm seeing and hearing a lot about are pet adoption events. Pet stores, volunteer rescue organizations, even vets are promoting pet adoption.
Pet adoption is an act of true compassion. Done well and responsibly, I think it's a wonderful idea, as there are SO many animals, with SO much love and comfort to give and share.
Animals end up in a shelter for a number of reasons, but one big one is a pet owner making an impulsive, uninformed, or unsuitable choice in the first place, which is why I love this book so much.
If a shelter dog is in your future, read The Chosen Puppy first. No matter your age, or your level of experience or familiarity with the canine species, you will learn something from this book.
Carol Lea Benjamin has been writing about dogs for decades. Easy to see it is a labor of love. Much of her early work is about dogs from shelters. I found this book at the local library about 10 or 11 years ago; I have since bought and given out probably 2 dozen copies as gifts.
See, here's the thing-when you finally make it to the shelter, in your mind, you think you have made the hardest decision. You get there, and you are goo...just so are ready to scoop up the first wriggling bundle of fur so you can romp off into the sunset together. After losing Maggie Mae in 1999, we were three years in between dogs, and my arms literally ached to hold, and snuzzle with a dog again, so I know the feeling.
The Chosen Puppy is an easy read. Less than 90 pages long, it's a paperback, about $10.00, unless you buy a used copy online someplace. It is sweet and short and common-sense advice on how to interview, choose, and train a shelter dog of any age.
Suitable and interesting for readers of any age, no complex terms, and lots of cute pencil drawings, reading it before we made the trip to it was an INVALUABLE guide when our moment of truth arrived, and in the ensuing months as we were training our sweet Bella Blue.
If you have a friend-neighbor-relative-client who is contemplating adopting a dog-get them this book. Spring is house-buying season, so if you know a dog is in the future of a new homebuyer, it makes a great housewarming gift. And while you're at it, might as well check out, even pass on the links of your local shelters: Here are two in Westchester County NY Pets Alive in Elmsford, and the SPCA in Briarcliff. You'll be glad you did.
The Refreshed Home~Because Experience Matters, And Kindness Counts
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