Vacation's over!

Well, winter is setting upon us, which means for our family, new dogs to take care of and find homes for. Last Christmas we had 16 stockings upon our wall for all of our four legged friends. This large number was not due to the fact that they have four feet each, we had 16 dogs! It was crazy, but wow, what an experience. Since last winter we have lost one of our own dogs, Heidi, but we have gained another, Harley that will probably stay with us forever, so we still have 5 of our own. Nuts I know, but our family knows no other way of life.

On Monday, we took in two more dogs, one a puppy that has already found a loving home but won't "move out" until next weekend, and the other, a beautiful young Shepherd that had been in the shelter for over 2 months and had rubbed the hair off of his nose while trying to shove it through the bars for attention every time a person walked by. It took this sweet dog no longer than about 5 minutes to adjust to the chaos of our home, simply relieved that he could be warm, comfy and loved once again, or maybe even for the first time in his life. This is what makes us continue to do this over and over again. Unconditional love from such a beautiful, innocent creature is the greatest thing in the world. The joy of matching these amazing animals with new families is just as rewarding as giving them the love and attention they are starving to have and it bowls us over with emotion every time.

We get sometimes as many as 10 calls a week from people wanting to "get rid" of their dog for one stupid reason or another. It is amazing how many people in this world think that animals are disposable and it sickens me that these dogs have to go through the heartache that they do. I'm thankful that we are able to provide them with the love they need and that eventually, we are able to find them the most perfect homes. Sometimes it takes a couple of years (no joke), but we always find the right match. Duke and King will be the start of a busy and long winter for us, but we wouldn't trade it for anything.