On a whim, I was browsing the Petfinder ads in late January. my friend kept sending me links to dog's ads and while I already had three, I knew my older heeler was not in great health, so was looking for a younger counterpart that he could "show the ropes" too.
I came across an ad for an adorable pup named Puffball and low and behold, he was in Gainesville, where we make monthly trips to purchase our horse feed in bulk..and we were due to go out to Gainesville that weekend. I forwarded the ad to my husband, and my husband, somewhat sheepishly, said OK, we can go and meet him.
I called Noah;s ark and verified Puffball was still there..he was. the next AM, we got up, went to the feed store and swung by the shelter.
Puffball had been adopted about an hour before we got there..I was happy, but sad at the same time. the shelter staff informed me that he had 2 brothers and a sister avail for adoption as well. They were, that day, at an adoption event a few cities over. I was told, provided they did not get adopted that day, I could come back on Monday and see them.
We drove the 2 hours home and I called and sure enough, all three pups made it back to the shelter.
I took a half day from work(My boss got a kick out of my phone call about needing to take time off to go and get a dog) and drove out first thing Monday AM to Gainesville.
All three of the pups were in a cage and, being the softy that I am, it simply breaks my heart to see so many sweet dogs without homes. I met with all three pups and noticed the female hung back a bit. The two boys, being boys, were bouncy and very very excited. The little girl was excited, but kind of reserved, but still very curious.
I thought for a moment and knew that if I took all three, I risked divorce. I ended up choosing the little female they called Katt.
I paid my fees and loaded Katt, now called Kate, into a crate in my car for the ride back. she rode like a champ..not a peep and simply laid down. she did however puke about 15 minutes from home. She was terribly embarrassed, but that was OK..stress of new stuff, that happens sometimes.
Its been over 4 months since I adopted Kate and she has been the most wonderful dog. She accompanies me to all my son's soccer practices and games..she even wears a team t-shirt for his games to show her team spirit. She has come with me to horse shows. She accompanies me every morning and evening when I feed our animals. And she has been an absolute godsend when I had to put down my beloved older heeler in mid april due to cancer. IT was incredibly hard for me and Kate has been there, as consistent as only a dog can be. She makes me laugh every day by her exuberance and love of life and her family, both human and dog. I honestly dont know how I would have gotten over the loss of Dakota, my heeler, had it not been for Kate being there with me.
She recently graduated from basic obedience with my 8 year old son and will continue with her training. She is incredibly smart.
I feel like Kate is truly a great dog and I feel very blessed to have her in my life.
