Kathleen Adopts

Cisco was my loyal companion, my confidante, my writing buddy, my dear friend. He joined our family as a puppy, and we got him mainly for our daughter, who suffered with migraines. She says Cisco was her salvation. Australian shepherds are active, smart, protective, and devoted to their people. Cisco wasn't perfect--didn't do well with young children, had a mind of his own off leash--but he loved me unconditionally, and it broke my heart when we had to put him down at the age of 13. I love dogs, but I wasn't sure I wanted another one.

Several years ago I wrote a novella called Waiting For Mom that featured a heroine who ran a pet adoption program. I got the lowdown from friend and fellow writer Connie Brockway about being a foster mom for dogs. What a terrific program.

Another friend--my daughter's sister-in-law--has been fostering dogs, too, taking the time to work with her charges in whatever discipline they're lacking. When the grandkids started

wishing for a puppy, I could feel my resistance dissolving, especially when they got Grandpa on their side.

But we agreed, no puppies. Been there, done that, got the chewed furniture. When I was a teenager, I used to say I was going to adopt rather than have babies. So many children, not enough homes. "We'll see," said Mama. And she did, of course. Three childbirths. She knew me.

Well, here's Beauty. I started cautiously peeking at the local pet adoption web sites, and when I saw her picture, something clicked. I told my daughter (who says she's having dogs rather than children, and she means it) about her, and she contacted the foster mom. Before I knew it, Elizabeth and I were headed for a Petco adoption event. It was meant to be. It's been only been about a month, but she's family. We bonded immediately. Brought her home the same day, but we had 2 weeks trial period to make sure we were right for each other. The kids named her Black Beauty.

She's about a year old, and she's amazing. Gorgeous--silken coat glistens like a raven's wing. Knows all the basic commands, perfectly house trained, great on and off leash, plays ball, loves kids, shadows me, walks me, listens to me--what a joy!

The agency we used is Homeward Bound of Minnesota. Just look at all those dogs. (There's a cat page, too.) Each one is

described in detail. You have to fill out an application, and you do pay for the dog, but it's a donation to the program, which is non-profit. The dog is neutered and completely vetted--vaccinated and treated with all the usual preventive stuff. Many of the animals have had more extensive medical care, and that figures into the cost of the animal. We were told that there's an over-abundance of Labs in our part of the country and that black dogs are the ones who often end up getting put down in the pounds or kill shelters. (Homeward Bound is no-kill.) Beauty is mainly Lab, but the consensus is that she has a touch of Dobie in her.

Here's the greeting she got from the youngest grand at the end of her first day of kindergarten. She was thrilled to find Beauty waiting for the bus. And Beauty was thrilled to have her kids back home. Thrilled to have a home.

She was a stray. Homeward Bound rescued her from the pound. She's so we behaved, we know she didn't run away. And she's so well trained, we can't imagine anyone letting her go. But there's been a run on shelter space with the downturn in the economy, and there are some wonderful animals waiting for homes. We're glad Beauty found ours.

And see, Mama. I did adopt!

Time for more pet talk. Any other adoptive pet parents riding with us? Tell us about it. I'd love to answer any questions about our experience with pet adoption. And thank you, Cindy, for pointing us to The Animal Rescue website this morning. Click this link and then click the purple button to make a no-cost donation of food to a shelter.