Hello again my friends! Barbara here. What shall we discuss today? Shall we talk about journeys and new beginnings?
I think that will make for an excellent topic for discussion!
Since everyone at some point in their life ventures on a journey or new beginning, I would like you share with you how and why my new journey began.
Shall we begin? Keep reading and you will find out some very compelling reasons for my new beginning.
There is Always a Beginning to Every Journey
It’s true, every journey does begin with the first step. We all have to do it sometime in our life, if we want to find our way and better ourselves in one degree or another.
So here I am taking that first step. It’s not the first, first step I’ve ever taken. There have been many others along the way in my 63 years.
This particular step I hope will lead me to achieve a two-fold goal, one is to unite dog lover’s and dog owner’s around the world, to take up the cause of homeless, mistreated, neglected, abandoned and abused dogs everywhere.
The other is of personal development (learning) and financial freedom.
My website will bring awareness to this important cause as well as provide information and products for dogs that you already own, rescue or adopt.
One theme that I have stressed many times in my website is to “Adopt, Not Shop”!
I Stress This For Two Reasons:
- Dogs in pet stores usually come from “puppy mills”. This means they simply breed dogs for profit, with no consideration as to what kind of life the dog will have or where it will wind up.
- The number of dogs in shelters or rescue organizations is overwhelming increasing every day to t the point of overcrowdedness.
Shelters are operated on donated funds and with volunteers.
When shelter become too overcrowded, resources become nearly extinct and many puppies and even older dogs are euthanized because there just isn’t any way to keep them.
Adoption is the solution to this crisis.
Think about this the next time the ASPCA commercial comes on the television. You can help, in more ways than you think…you just need to step up and take a stand for dogs and all animals.
The Reasons I’m Involved With Dogs
For as long as I can remember, dogs have always been a big part of my life. We had always had dogs in our family; with an occasional cat or bird, when I was growing up.
I remember one time many years ago; my father worked as a glazier as a side job and one of his clients could not afford to pay him, instead she gave him a pup from the little her dog just had.
So, my father walks in the house with this pup that was so tiny, its eye were barely open. My mother went crazy! She knew nothing about taking care of a tiny little tike and chastised my father for bringing it home.
You couldn’t help falling in love with this little guy — he was so cute with white little paws, black and tan colors and a tiny button nose.
We had to teach it to find the bowl of food and help him learn to eat. He really needed to stay with his mama a bit longer.
A few days past and we discovered that the little guy (pepper) was ill. We didn’t realize it at first but he was definitely acting strange.
When we took him to the doctor, he was diagnosed with rabies and distemper. Poor little guy, not barely two months old and his life would end.
Since he was so young when the lady gave him to my father, he hadn’t had any of his pup vaccinations and we were unaware of this at the time.
Since he had rabies and distemper, we had to leave him tied up in the kitchen. It was so sad watching him suffer. Finally, it was time to put him down.
It was the saddest thing I had to face as a child. He was so young and I know he we would have had a good home if he had survived.
Other Dogs Would Enter and Leave My Life – That’s Just the Way Things Happen
Ever since that little guy touched my life, my love and passion for dogs began to grow over the years. In all, I have had six other dogs in my lifetime.
As most people do, I consider dogs to be a part of the family. “Give a dog your time and love and you will receive unconditional love in return”. Dogs bring a certain soothing calmness to ones stress and anxiety.
They make the best therapy animal for people with different kinds of illness. They are search and rescue animals, police and military service dogs, not to mention great companions.
The Passion Grabs Hold
All little more than two years ago, I lost one of my dogs to heart disease at eleven years old.
A beautiful tan and white cocker spaniel, her name was Gidget — Girl Midget!
She was my sweet girl and her passing devastated me. Even though she is gone now, she was a great companion and still has a warm place in my heart.
In the days following her passing, I couldn’t even begin to consider replacing her. I only thought about how I had to watch the vet put her down.
That was a very painful experience for me, even as an adult. As the days went by I missed her more and more.
I lived alone at the time, so it made the empty feeling seem overwhelming. The house was quiet. I knew I would never hear her cute little howl again!
She was by my side all the time. We went everywhere together.
She was a true companion and a lovable furry friend. She brought a great deal to my life and stayed by my side throughout my Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments in 2016.
Knowing the pain of my loss, my nieces encouraged me to rescue a dog from a shelter or a rescue organization, as they had done.
They said if I were ready, rescuing was better than buying from a breeder.
When the time was right, I decided to do just that. I know I made the best decision I could ever make, when it comes to choosing a fur ever friend.
Having had female dogs in the past, I was uncertain whether I would be receptive to a male dog but that all changed when I saw this little guy staring up at me from the kennel at Jersey Shore Animal Center.
Introducing Chance! In November of 2020, he will have been with me for three years and this September 2020, will be four years old.
He is the most lovable, kindest and most affectionate Whippet/Chihuahua mix.
He does have a bark on him that some people tend to dislike, but it is his way of protecting me from intruders.
Okay, so Chihuahua and Whippet mix, go figure! Knowing the two breeds of dog and figuring out how the mix occurred, is beyond me. Regardless of his breed, I still chose him.
I named him Chance because I believed we both needed a second chance at an amazing happy life together.
Chance has become my best wingman and best pup buddy. He is a great companion, who likes to snuggle, give kisses and is 100% lovable.
The Way Forward
I created this website to first bring awareness to the plight of the millions of dogs that need fur ever homes…dogs who have been abandoned, mistreated and left for dead.
The shelters are overcrowded. Besides, a shelter life for a dog is a lonely place to be.
The longer they stay in a shelter, the greater their chances of being euthanized. No one wants to see that happen to any of these dogs.
So before paying outrageous prices for a breeder or to a pet store, please think about rescuing a dog from shelter or rescue organization.
A good friend is the executive director at the local shelter where I adopted Chance and I try to help them out in whatever way I can — usually by donating items I think they can use.
The second reason for creating this website was to provide dog owners with access to a wide variety of products that they can peruse and purchase for their dogs.
This website will not only provide access to products, but also important information on caring for your dog, whether you are thinking of adopting or already own a dog.
Will You Take This Journey With Me?
Do you have a passion for dogs? Can you stand around and watch a dog or any animal for that matter, be mistreated, abandoned or abused?
I’m sure you can’t! I would love to hear what you think about my journey into the Rescue Dog World.
You may share your questions and comments in the section below and I will be more than happy to respond.
All the best,
Barbara
Founder/Creator: Love A Rescue Dog 🐶
lovearescuedog93016@gmail.com
“Saving one animal won’t change the world, but for that one animal, the world changes forever”