How Can You Help?

I have found the way in which I will help to change the world during my time on Earth. I will fight for the animals that have no voice. I do think this is part of why I was sent here in the first place. I have had many people tell me, "you know you can't save every dog". To that I respond with my favorite quote: "Saving one animal won't save the world... but it will save one animal". If we all did our part, it would add up to so many animals. 

I hear many people say that they can't help. I want them all to know that it just isn't true. There are so many ways to help:

1) Donate- have a few dollars to spare? That's all it takes. A few dollars from a few people... well, that can add up to quite a lot of money in a short amount of time. Also never forget that donations are tax deductible! I find it more helpful (and more personally rewarding) to donate to smaller rescues who  are struggling with the more honest side of animal rescue, as opposed to larger corporations who may be using the money in many other ways besides giving it all to the animals.

2) Foster- Aren't sure if you're ready for the commitment of a pet? Fosters are temporary homes for shelter/homeless pets until their forever homes can be found. Check with rescues and shelters in your area because the best ones will match you with an appropriate foster, provide you with food, pay for all vetting, and handle finding the animal a home. You just have to make room for it in your home, your heart, and sometimes (ok, it's all the time for me)in your bed at night. Yes, even the 50 lb newcomer. I'm going to need a king sized bed if I keep this up! 

3) Volunteer- Volunteer with a rescue at adoption events or in the office. Volunteer with a shelter to walk shelter pets or take photos for social media/adoption events.


4) Spay and Neuter- Sure, you think your dog is cute. Wouldn't its puppies be cute, too? Yes, of course they would. Puppies are always cute. But not spaying and neutering your pets is not only irresponsible and taking away from the life of your pet, but you are personally contributing the amazing shelter problem we are facing in our country right now. Say you breed your dog. It has 6 puppies. They all get homes. You have just, all by yourself, led to the untimely euthanasia (or god forbid gas chamber death) of 6 other puppies that were in your local animal shelter. Think about it. It makes sense. The world does NOT need more puppies, let alone puppies from someone who is breeding for not only the WRONG reasons, but really for no reason at all. 


If you cannot afford to get your pet fixed, please research low cost options in your area. San Diego has SNAP,  the Spay Neuter Action Project. Many communities have similar organizations. Find a veterinarian that will agree to bill you and allow you to make payments over time for the spay or neuter of your pet. Many are understanding and would rather wait for the money than have the pet leave unfixed.


Please read the following for information on spaying and neutering your pet (source: SNAP-SanDiego.Org)- please visit their site for more in depth information on the following:


Common Myths:
a) "I love my pet so much, I want another one just like her"- Your pet's offspring won't be exactly like it's mother or father. 
b) "A female cat of dog should have one litter before she is fixed"- There is NO REASON why a female cat or dog should have a little before she is fixed. 
c) "A neutered dog won't make a good watchdog"- Aggressiveness is not the same as protectiveness. 
d) "My pet will become fat and lazy"- Pets become fat and lazy if they get too much food and not enough exercise. 
e) "kittens and puppies are so cute, it will be easy to find homes for them"- In six years, one female dog and her offspring can be the source of 67,000 puppies, and in seven years one cat can be the source of 420,000 kittens. But even if your pet does have "just one litter", it won't be easy finding good homes for all of them. Every year hundreds of kittens and puppies die in shelters just in San Diego. Most of them are perfectly healthy and cute. 
f) "I don't want my male animal to feel like less of a male"- Pets don't have any concept of sexual identity or ego. 
g) "My animal is purebred, so breeding won't contribute to the problem"- A large number of animals killed at shelters and pounds are purebreds.


Improved Behavior:
a) Neutering reduces the desire to breed, and that has a calming effect on many animals. 
b) Sterilization eliminates sexual frustration and related behaviors.
c) A female dog in heat will attract every male dog in the vicinity. 
d) Neutered dogs and cats are less likely to roam (in search of a mate). This means they are less likely to get lost or hit by cars.
e) A sterilized pet is friendlier with other pets and is less likely to bite unprovoked. 
f) FACT: Unneutered dogs cause nearly 100% of serious bites and nearly 60% of those bites involved children. 


Health Benefits: 
a) spaying your female pet will prevent heartache, stress, and expensive vet bills that can come with complications in pregnancy and birth. 
b) sterilized pets tend to live at least two to three years longer.
c) Neutering a male cat or dog by six months prevents testicular cancer and prostate disease. It can also help prevent hernias. 
d) Spaying a female cat or dog prevents pyometra.
e) Fixed pets are less likely to get in fights or get hit by cars looking for a mate = less likely to be injured or killed. 
f) The longer a female goes unspayed, the greater her chances of developing deadly mammary tumors. 


Cost Savings:
a) Sterilization eliminates or reduces the urge to run away and the cost of injuries and impounds.
b) A male, sensing a female in heat, can break down doors and jump fences which can be very costly to fix.  
c) Sterilization eliminates the worry, hassle and cost of litters.
d) Spaying and neutering reduces the costs resulting from pet overpopulation such as those incurred by animal control and law enforcement. 


Again, all information just provided can be found in it's original format and form the original source at the Snap-San Diego website. I urge EVERYONE to visit their website, especially the page outlining some of the truths of the pet overpopulation problem. This information may be found by following this link: About Pet Overpopulation.

PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER!

My Best Friend, Mason

I had always wanted a dog of my own. Not a family dog, one that was 100% mine in every way. In 2006, I finally had my chance. 
 
I had dreamed of owning a big dog, but was living in Brighton. The winters in the city with no dog park in my neighborhood were a daunting thought. How on earth would I exercise a big dog in the winter? Icy sidewalks, whiteouts, snow piles, hail, who knows! I just wasn't up for it. At the time, however, I was anti little dog. All I knew was Paris Hilton types with their cashmere clad Chihuahuas stuffed in their purses like accessories. I couldn't imagine. I thought little dogs were yippy and obnoxious. I made fun of them whenever I saw the chance. But it finally hit me. You want a dog? You want a dog that will want to stay in during the cold weather just as badly as you do? Well, it looks like you're going with the toy group. I did my research. What small breeds are on the quieter side? Best suited for apartments? Loving? Loyal? A one owner dog? All signs pointed to the Yorkshire Terrier.

Thinking back on how I came to have Mason, my amazing little dog, still makes me cringe. Knowing what I know now about shelters and puppy mills and whatever atrocious situations animals find themselves in, if I could go back in time, I would never have gotten a puppy from the internet. Who KNOWS who my payment was supporting. Who knows what conditions Mason's mama was living in when she gave birth... or how many litters she was forced to have in her life. Her name was Sophie, and I hope she is alright. Puppyfind.com was the website that I used to find my little nugget. I am fairly certain that nearly all of the dogs on this website are from either puppy mills or horrendous money grubbing backyard breeders. But I wanted my puppy, and I was going to have him! 


Mason plus his flight from Arkansas would cost me $750. Having Mason has been a priceless gift. I picked Mason up from a Logan Airport cargo building in the fall of 2006. He was about 9 weeks old. He weighed 2 lbs. He had come in a crate all by himself in the cargo hold of the airplane. This I cannot even FATHOM now. When they finally called my name and placed the teeny crate on the counter, I saw him and burst into tears. The attendant looked concerned and asked, "is he not what you wanted?" "No", I said, "it's just that he's perfect." Upon closer inspection, little baby Mason had made an absolute bathroom of his little crate. He had done everything possible in there, and it was EVERYWHERE. I hoped my mom would clean him off, but she very quickly reminded me that he was MY dog, just as I wanted. This filthy little pup was now MY problem. YUCK! Into the bathroom we went. Once he was clean, we took Mason outside and sat with him in the grass. And the rest is history. 

Mason has been with me through thick and thin, and he proves that dogs really are our best friends. His little face can melt my heart or bring me joy. His little stumpy tail wagging can bring me out of any mood. He is my little bundle of joy. And he has saved me so many times. From self doubt. From sadness. From making decisions that would have kept me from him for too long! He is for sure my best boy. Mason turned 5 this summer, and I can't stand it. The one truth about owning a pet is that they will pretty much always break your heart. It's rare that they outlive us, and losing them is just one of the worst and most painful experiences you can have in your life. Every year that he gets older I get sicker and sicker thinking about losing him. I can't imagine my life without him. Sitting here now, I have tears in my eyes just writing about it. We need to treasure every moment that we get to spend with our little fur babies and never take it for granted!

With all that said, and having spelled out how much I love my baby boy, I would like to say that I am glad I have become more educated about puppy mills, breeders, and everything that is going on within the shelter system, both publicly and privately. I would never buy a dog from the internet again, as you cannot meet the puppies, the parents, the breeders, or have access to other people who have bought from the breeder previously as references. In fact, I will never go to a breeder again. Period. Statistically in this country, a staggering number of dogs in shelters RIGHT NOW are purebred. People buy a puppy of a certain breed because of what they are told of their temperament, and the animal may not "live up to" these high standards due to poor breeder or illness. People are losing their homes. People get sick of their dogs when they are no longer puppies. Whatever the circumstances. I hope, despite my purchase from a mystery breeder 5 years ago, that I can influence people around me to consider using resources like Petfinder.com or Adoptapet.com, even their local shelters and rescues and Humane Societies. Whatever breed you are looking for, please check these resources for them. I'll bet you'll find exactly what you wanted, and you'll be giving a dog a home that has been to hell and back. My past decisions may not set the best example, but I will strive to do so with everything I do moving forward. This includes fighting for the lives and rights of shelter dogs every chance I get.  

The Horse Who Rescued Me

I moved to San Diego in August 2009. Living by the beach was a dream, and I was finally there. Little did I know I'd make a friend who would lead me to one of the most life changing decisions to date.

I moved into an extremely irritating and overpriced apartment complex when I first made it to Pacific Beach. I didn't like much about it after about a week, but there I was. Then I made a new friend in the complex who made the best and worst mistake ever in just two words.... ".......my horse...". "WHAT? Did you just say 'my horse'?", I exclaimed. Oh yea, she had a horse. Owning a horse was a dream that began when I was very young. I started riding when I was 4 on a gray pony named Daisy. I never stopped. But never on a horse of my very own. I wanted a big, beautiful horse. Black or Brown. Thoroughbred or Warmblood or any other type of sport horse. But the timing was never right.

After hearing about my new friend's horse, I started thinking. Maybe I could pull this off. I started poking around online. The internet can be so great... but is so BAD for me! It gets me in so much trouble! One visit to Craigslist.com. Keyword "horse" in the search box of the "for sale" section. This search can yield many results... rocking horses, cars with a certain horsepower, sawhorses, toy horses..... and a horse named "Jack" who needed a new home. 17.1 hands, thoroughbred. Bay. GORGEOUS. "Price negotiable to good home". Oh yea, this is it. I show my now good friend, and we agree to go visit him. Jack was living in Bonita, and was 5 years old at the time. He had already had probably 3 owners, and the girl who had taken him in last couldn't keep him anymore. She already had 4 horses of her own, and the costs were getting overwhelming. We drove down and were led over to his stall. The girl at the ranch took his fly mask off. We both gasped for air when we saw how beautiful he was. Unforgettable words from my friend... "oh, Jen... he's beautiful". That was it. I knew I was in big trouble. I told the nice girl I would think about it, and headed to the car. "Well, just so you know.. someone else is interested. And she isn't a great rider. And she just had twins". WHAT? All I could think was how unworthy she was of him! "Oh screw it", I said, "tell her he is off the market. No way she is getting him". Sh*t. What did I doooooooooooo? For the bargain price of $900, I had myself a horse.

Jack arrived at his new home in Poway about a week later, and as I stood holding him and watching the trailer pull away, leaving him with me, I realized I didn't have any tack. Great, a horse I can't ride. Well, I'd better start shopping. Luckily my days in California have made me a bit more frugal than in my younger years, and my ghetto fabulous tack has gotten the job done for quite some time now!

My family was none too thrilled with my decision to take on this huge responsibility. They would be even less thrilled the day after Thanksgiving of that same year. That was the day I called home from my bed in the ER to tell them that I had broken my neck in a jumping accident. C1 and C2 to be precise. The same bones Christopher Reeve broke. But I had been extremely lucky. A crack and a chip and no other damage. Yes, I had broken my neck... but I would walk away from the hospital that night with only a neck brace. Using my own two legs. Jack would spend the next two weeks with knees swollen like footballs. I'd spend the next 9 unable to drive or do much of anything for myself. Yet no one was surprised when I showed up at the barn 2 days later to see Jack. And every possible day after that.

Needless to say, Jack and I are both back to normal. We have since switched to a beautiful barn right next door to where we used to be. He is fat and happy and so am I. Well, ok, I am more happy than fat, but still. Jack is now 7. I could swear he grew a little in the past two years. We trust each other now. I know all of his dumb obnoxious silly crazy unexplainable habits.He knows just what buttons to push and what he can get away with before I start screaming at him. And we are a perfectly imperfect pair. And I love him.

Yes, that's a short synopsis of our 2 years together. Really barely skims the surface. But how can I write about the animals in my life and not make him a part of it?

"My horse's feet are as swift as rolling thunder
He carries me away from all my fears
And when the world threatens to fall asunder
His mane is there to wipe away my tears."
-Bonnie Lewis

Sylvie, My VIP Passenger

It was a typical morning for me, online searching for jobs and...maybe on Facebook.. (damn Facebook!). I am following so many dog rescue pages that my entire news feed is clogged with sad little faces and horror stories. Because my house is full right now and I have no money to donate, I pretty much speed on through most of them because I'm basically useless at the moment. I happened to slow down for a minute, though, and saw that a rescue was seeking a transport in my area.... in the next hour! Well, how convenient... I have nothing to do!

A young shepherd mix named Sylvie, who was rescued from one of the worst kill shelters in California- and possibly the country-, Devore, was in need of transport from her foster home in Oceanside to a boarding facility in Bonita. She would be staying there for the week, awaiting her flight to Chicago later in the month to go to her forever home! I immediately offered to help, but only if the rescue could cover my gas money. Luckily, they were more than happy to do so. So I got in the car and started the trip! I punched the address of her foster into my iPhone, and headed north to Oceanside. Well, wouldn't I be surprised when the directions landed me at the main gate to Camp Pendleton. Great, I thought... how the hell am I supposed to pull this off? I have no business being on a freakin' military base! My heart was pounding as I thought how on earth I was going to explain my story to the guard at the entrance, or how it would even be believable when I did. I must have looked guilty because I was so nervous. I was so glad this very handsome young man was extremely nice and let me through without giving me a heart attack or asking for some kind of paperwork that I didn't have! I finally arrived at Sylvie's foster home, and she hopped right in the front seat, where she would sit as my co-pilot for the ride to Bonita.

Sylive was one of the cutest dogs I've ever seen. Black as night with one ear that sticks straight up like a shepherd...and one ear that flops out to the side. She was constantly smiling and wagging her tail, and even leaning into my side of the car to lick me on the face. I can't believe that poor girl had spent time in DEVORE. In case the readers aren't aware, Devore is literally dog hell. And if you're a black dog? Forget it, you really don't stand a chance.

An hour and a half and some confusion later, Sylvie was dropped at the boarding facility. I said goodbye and wished her luck and was on my way home. Little did I know, that was not the last I would see of Sylvie! That Friday, I received a direct email from a woman at the same rescue that had arranged Sylvie's transport for Monday, asking if I could transport her again. YES! I was free. I was to pick Sylvie up at the boarding facility in Bonita and drive her to Corona, the same town that Chance was rescued from just a few weeks earlier. And this time, I decided to bring the new kid with me to revisit the town in which he had been a stray just a month before. Chance and Sylvie wrestled in the back of my car the entire way from Bonita to Corona. It was quite noisy, but they were just in love. My backseat looked like it was covered in fur for a few days after, but it was all worth it to see how happy they were back there! So much for Sylvie's bath she had just gotten before she left boarding! She now had slobber ALL over her from Chance (oops). Around 12:30pm, Sylvie was dropped with her next temporary foster and partial transport. On Monday morning, she would be on a plane to her forever home in Chicago!

That Friday transport ended up taking 3 hours and 50 minutes, and I covered 222 miles. Each and every second and mile was worth seeing Sylvie's update online. She had made it safely to Chicago, and would now be a Midwestern girl! I am proud and humbled to have been a part of the rescue and success story of a Devore dog! GO SYLVIE!

Chance - The Puppy Who Stole My Heart

I first learned about Chance on Thursday, June 30 as I sat at my desk perusing my Facebook news feed from the day. A shelter in Riverside county was making a desperate plea for the adoption and rescue of some of it's pups, and had even lowered their adoption fee to $15, knowing they were just going to be put down. It was about to be 4th of July weekend, and as all of us dog crazies know all too well, this means nothing good for dogs currently being housed in shelters across the country. This is often a weekend of mass euthanasia due to the number of fear runaways and strays picked up due to the human need for huge and noisy fireworks displays. Chance had been in the shelter for a month and the volunteers weren't sure how much longer the shelter employees would let him live. To think that his only crime was being tossed out in the desert and being picked up by animal control, and that the punishment for this was death. I am painfully aware of the overwhelming number of strays and owner surrenders brought to shelters everywhere every single day, but I still cannot come to terms with these perfectly friendly and healthy dogs being put to death for no fault of their own.

Friday afternoon, July 1, I called out to my friends in hopes that they would help me with some of the cost I would incur to rescue Chance. A few responded, and I never could have imagined their generosity (thank you a million times over). Saturday morning, July 2, I set off on the almost two hour drive to save this boy's butt. I got distracted by a brindle pitt while I was there, but luckily she was being adopted and I could get back to Chancie Pants.

About an hour later, I was back in the car. I had met up with an amazing volunteer who offered to pick Chance up from the vet, let him stay the night at her house, and then drive him all the way down to San Diego to meet me. When I first left for Corona I thought, "I'll grab this pup and find him a new home. I'll just foster him." Well, silly me. I didn't anticipate instantly being in love with this 45 lb love bug that had just come into my life. My first instinct was to keep him forever because I love him and because he loves me (at least I hope he does!), and because I SAVED him. All by myself. Just little me who not too many people seem to believe in or think has the capacity to actually save lives. But more on this later.. Chance was brought to me on Wednesday, July 6. This was the day I learned that Saturday was his last day. If I had not filled out that paperwork, he would have been in a garbage bag in a landfill likely by the next morning.

Soon after Chance settled into my home, I found out how sick he was. Kennel cough, giardia, worms. He had it all. Off to the vet we went. Fecal samples, antibiotics, shots, tests. He was quarantined and not allowed to play. This was far worse than the vet visits, because playing was all he wanted. I could see him becoming more and more frustrated with every new dog he met and couldn't wrestle with. It was heartbreaking. I also learned that Chance is not, in fact, 2 years old like the shelter had originally thought. He is likely only 1 year old. You can imagine now what his energy level must be like! Yep, you guessed it, he is on ALL the time!

Now that Chance is healthy, he goes to Fiesta Island nearly every day. 1.5 hours minumum... sometimes 2. He never slows down! He swims in the ocean just to swim, which I'm sure he had never done before. He plays with new friends, runs, sniffs, carries sticks that he finds in the brush. He knows true joy and freedom. I'm so proud of him.

It took me about three weeks to realize that he can do better than this. Yes, I love him. But I am out of work. I have a small apartment. The move I was originally supposed to make fell through.... three times. I am the only human in my California family. This is when more angels came to me. The same rescue group I fostered for previously agreed to help me find Chance an amazing forever home. He is now listed on their website, and is invited to attend all of their adoption events! Yes, he is safe and always will be, and yes, he will stay with me until he finds an even better life. But he CAN and WILL do better than me. It's a humbling thought, but I will continue to remind myself that I am here right now to serve as a part of these doggies' journeys... but not yet a final destination.

Again, you don't know the generosity of people or how kind some of them truly still can be until you really need them. Being involved in dog rescue has both helped and hindered my view of humanity. The stories of abuse are so horrendous and so unfortunately common... but the stories of rescue and strangers going out of their way for creatures of all shapes and sizes that they have not and may never meet are so inspirational.

As Chance dozes off on my couch on a beautiful Thursday afternoon, I cannot stop smiling knowing that he will always be safe and he will never know a concrete kennel again. Because of me.

If you are interested in adopting Chance, please contact me at missjennifertaylor@gmail.com.

If you would like to contribute to Chance's medical bills, please visit my CHIPIN to donate: http://chancetherescuedog.chipin.com/chance-the-rescue-dog.

The Min Pins

After I lost Charlotte (and she gained a new lease on life), I felt empty. I knew I had to find another dog to help! I applied online later that week to be a foster mom for a local (and extremely successful) rescue. The next day, I had already received a phone call from the president of the rescue saying that they desperately needed my help. A hoarder had just been busted in the area with 52 Min Pins in his home that he had bought under false pretense from people who could no longer keep their pets, and was breeding over and over and selling the puppies for profit. "Min Pins", I thought, "this should be interesting..".

That afternoon, I went to the rescue to meet my new charges. I would be taking home an 8 year old mama and her 3 week old puppy. I had never even seen a puppy this young in person! I couldn't believe what a little ball of fur he was, so alien looking and so helpless! Mama was very protective, and would jump from person to person until she found who was holding her little one. It was so sad that she had only one puppy. Was it her age? Was it because she had been bred so many times? I wondered, too, if she had ever had a real home or, if so, how long it had been since she had been stolen from it and how long since her abuse had begun.

Once in my home, mama (now named Lisette) was very protective of her baby around Mason. Mason also made me a little nervous... he seemed to think the puppy was some kind of rodent and, for those who don't know, Yorkies were made to hunt rodents. Oh boy, there goes leaving these two alone together EVER. Luckily, puppies grow very fast, and soon he looked like a real dog enough to save his own butt from the ratter! But back to that first day... Louie (the baby) could only hop a few steps before he would tumble over, and when he was scared and wanted to turn around, he didn't know how. He could only run backwards as fast as possible. Sad... yet hilarious.

With each day, Lisette became more trusting of me and Mason, and would lounge on the couch wrapped in a blanket while I babysat. Louie grew fast, and soon he was learning about puppy wee wee pads and eating big boy food. His patient mama let him nurse despite his needle teeth coming in, but his steps towards being weened were very positive. He learned to run and jump, learned that playing on the edge of the couch would likely mean taking a pretty big tumble (oops!). His prey drive started early, attacking dog toys twice his size with wolf-like tenacity. He was a little devil early on, but you couldn't get mad at those little blue eyes. Louie, by 6 weeks, was tall and beautiful, well on his way to being a handsome young man.

The time came for me to make my annual trip back to Boston to see my family. The timing was terrible! I didn't want to abandon these little ones. After all, they were my responsibility, and I was loving every moment of it! The day before my trip, I dropped my little ones back off at the rescue to await their new foster mom. I once again had to deal with saying goodbye to babies who had become so attached to me, and it was even harder this time. As I walked out of the office, I could hear them both screaming out for me, wondering why they weren't in my arms as I walked out the door. All I can hope is that they can understand my role in their lives in some capacity and not think that they were being abandoned yet again. I still cry as I sit here telling you about our last minutes together, but being a part of their lives is all I could ask, and I certainly was.

Louie was adopted by a family, but his mama is still with her new foster waiting for her forever home as of August 2011.

My First Rescue - Charlotte

I first saw Charlotte's very sad face through the Pet Pardons app on Facebook. The photo was of Charlotte in a cardboard box looking completely terrified. Her time was up at a Los Angeles kill shelter. Charlotte was a 1 year old Chihuahua who had been a stray, and had clearly already given birth to at least one litter... at least I hope it was only one litter. I immediately posted that I would foster her, and applied as a foster with the LA area rescue that had posted her case. Charlotte was pulled, and sent to the vet to be spayed.

Then I hit a roadblock... I was working full time in San Diego, and could not pick her up from the vet after her spay surgery. I communicated this problem on her Pet Pardon's listing, and a stranger named Crystal came to the rescue. Crystal turned out to be a true angel. After much confusion and a near miss on the timing of Crystal's trip to Charlotte's available pickup from the vet, she was in the car and on her way to San Diego. When I first saw Charlotte, she was sitting on Crystal's husband's lap in the passenger seat of the car, and she looked completely defeated. I'm sure she had no idea that her life was about to get better than ever. When I leaned into the car and said hello to her in my best soprano doggie voice, her little tail started thumping, and I knew we would be best friends.

Charlotte fit into my family immediately, and by family I mean myself and my Yorkie, Mason. They were great together from the start, and Charlotte soon discovered the true joys that are Couch and Bed. Yes, Mason was jealous and would sleep with his butt in my face for the first week, but it was a perfect match.

Because I was still working, I had Charlotte baby gated in my small kitchen area while I was gone, just in case she hadn't ever had any housetraining. Well, to my surprise, I came home from work on Charlotte's second day to find her standing in my living room, baby gate undisturbed... or so I thought. Upon closer inspection, I found that Charlotte had chewed a hole straight through the gate, barely big enough to squeeze her body through! She just wanted to be with Mason! So as you can imagine, that was the end of that. She never had to be baby gated again.

Charlotte's little face could break your heart. For those familiar with Chihuahuas, when they are stressed or upset, they squint their eyes and you swear they are going to burst into human tears at any moment. This poor little girl was terrified of being outside and even more terrified of men. An approaching man on the street would get one fear bark before Charlotte was safely hiding behind my legs, trembling. It was clear that she had been abused. Not that I can imagine the abuse of any animal, dog or otherwise, but what on earth could this teeny Chihuahua done to deserve the abuse of a grown man?

On Charlotte's first day, I took her to stand in a dog park just to observe her new world. A girl around my age came up and asked me some questions about her, and I gladly shared her story while she continued to hide and shake. A week later, Charlotte and I were outside when this same girl walked by us. She stopped and was silent for a moment before she exclaimed, "this cannot be the same dog I met last week!" Charlotte was wagging her whole butt in anticipation of meeting a new person, and was no longer hiding behind my legs. Yep, it was her! That same little baby that was so unsure just a week before. On the last day that she lived with me, Charlotte finally discovered how to play with toys. That was probably my greatest joy of all.

Charlotte's confidence was so inspiring, I decided to take her on a trip to Mason's favorite doggie spot- Fiesta Island Dog Park. Even off leash, this former stray did not leave my side. On top of that, it looked like she had never been so happy in her life. And as it turns out, today would be Charlotte's lucky day. I met a nice woman in the parking lot, holding an adorable little Chihuahua of her own. She said, "your dog is beautiful" to which I replied, "do you want her?". After explaining the situation to her and assuring her that I was not, in fact, giving my own dog away, she took my phone number and we went our separate ways.. or so I thought. Next thing I know, she is chasing me down the beach calling out my name. She had just spoken to her husband who had said she could absolutely bring home a doggie friend for their little one. We agreed to meet on Sunday so that I could do a home check.

This lovely woman and her husband live in a suburb of San Diego in a beautiful two story home. They have a fenced in back yard and huge dog beds in every corner of the house piled with toys.... just for their little Chihuahua. The woman, it turns out, is home all day every day. JACKPOT! I told you it was her lucky day! Charlotte and their Chihuahua were best friends from the first moment. I have since been updated that they sleep together in their crate every night and play all day every day. There is no way that this little girl could have found a better home. I miss her every day because she was a true joy to know, but she is an extremely lucky little girl who will never know fear or discomfort again.