Dog hero and despicable humans

"Well what's new about that?"

I don't know if this has already made its rounds, but I'm referring to this article. I read these types of articles all the time, but they never cease to sicken me. I love these animals and its unfathomable how humans can be so cruel.

While these stories get told though, and people around the country attempt to adopt them because their story is now sensational, you have to wonder if these people even looked into their local shelters. Yes, the news should let people know that animal cruelty is still a big problem, but sometimes I think the only reason so many people call in to adopt the animals that make news is because of that fact alone. If that's true, it's a bit upsetting. Of course, it doesn't matter so much in the end because you know the shelter will do everything they can to make the right match.

I'll be honest, I haven't adopted a dog from a shelter yet, and cannot adopt cats despite my love for them too. My beagle came from Seattle Beagle Rescue as both my husband and I were completely smitten by her. We got her from a lady who used her to breed puggles. There were things we were told by the previous owner that, in our experience with dogs, weren't quite true. We worked with her though and she got used to living in a house real quick. In the few short months we've had her, she's a transformed dog. She's losing weight and eating much better food. Her coat shines now, when before it was dull, coarse and filthy (first thing we did after her first day was give her a bath, who knows how long she carried around all that muck). She's very independent, but when she wants you, she can sit in your lap for hours (she doesn't do it much and would like to say that she is not a lapdog, only when she feels like it). Daisy has fulfilled our lives and she has so much personality. She also loves to give high fives, and show affection in different ways (I believe she's the first dog I've had that doesn't lick, unless you have peanut butter on your hand). She'll be 6 in February.

My old dog, Lucky, was rescued from a person who put in an ad. That was in 1994, and I was a child then. These days, I'd only go through a shelter or rescue. However, she was the best dog to grow up with and I loved her very much. I remember how skinny and scared she was when I met her. She hardly ate, because every time she was given food, she'd be hit with a newspaper by their young boy. She never played with toys as a result of that. She was a very well-behaved Aussie/Doberman mix.

To me it doesn't matter where you get your pet really, as long as you're rescuing. I could never go the breeder route, even though there are reputable ones out there. If you want a purebred, they can be rescued just as mutts can.

Anyways, I must go now, so until next time,
Zi