For years upon years, we were a pet-less family.

In fact, I even swore that I would never have a dog. I had a whole list of why not.

But gradually, they chipped away at this hardened heart. Daniel and his sweet tone of voice and John David and his persistence. They wore me down. It took 3 years of begging, but they got the job done.

When you are getting a shelter dog, it’s tricky. You want to make sure that this animal will be safe for your children and your kids will in turn be safe for them.

If you get your heart set on one particular breed of dog, you could end up searching forever and never find one at your local animal shelter. You have to employ a different strategy than when you are buying one from a breeder. It definitely pays to have a number of different breeds in mind.

It takes hours of internet searching, and then things have to come together just right. I happened to be at Target last week, and the Petco next to it often has dogs and cats from a local animal shelter. First, I looked on Facebook to see which animals would be at Petco that day. Lo and behold, there were several puppies.

We had decided it would have to be a puppy.

We’d tried adopting a dog before, on a “2 week trial adoption,” but she was way too large and rough and we were far too novice. It was a terrible match. The trial failed.

This time I knew I had to be more careful, so I read up on these breeds of puppies that were at the Petco that day. Then I went in and stood at the window and observed for a while.

There was a pack of about 6 puppies and 1 older dog in an open room, the size of a large bedroom. Five puppies were all over each other. They were all hound mixes. They’d chew on each other’s ears and collars, and tackle on another. It was so much like watching a pair of toddler boys play.

But over on the other side of the same room was this little black and white whippet mix puppy. She didn’t tackle anyone, chew anyone’s collar off, or act a fool. She trotted about on her side, and minded her own business.

Now that’s my kind of puppy! I knew she was the one.

I brought the boys back to meet her later. They loved her right away, so all that was left was to talk Alan into it all.

Alan resisted a little, but he was sitting next to a pro-dog friend at the airport who knew about whippets. That was quite helpful. Ha! Yes, he was stuck at the airport listening to his wife talk him into adopting a dog.

I wasn’t worried. The reason I wasn’t concerned was that even with the dog we trial adopted in the past, who was a terrible match for our family, she had ONE huge fan in the house. Alan. He even loved that hyper Labrador who chewed on everyone’s clothes and jumped on all the boys.

Are you wondering what we named her?

Rosie.

John David insisted that her middle name be Autumn. So it’s Rosie Autumn.

A girl whippet really shouldn’t weigh 15 pounds at only 13 weeks, so she may be a little thicker than your pure bred whippet.

I genuinely like this dog. I do. She’s adorable, and that’s a big factor for me. But also, she’s house trained already. Rosie is highly trainable and eager to please. We are just as pleased as punch with her.

Even our oldest son is at peace with Rosie. He picked her up today. He has never been a dog fan, so this is a big deal.

She does seem to realize that the boys are puppies too. Sometimes she hangs out with them, but she also still hangs out in her crate a little more than I think is normal. We’ve already had her first vet visit though, and all is going well.

“He may go where he will and his dog will be there,
May revel in mud and his dog will not care;
Faithful he’ll stay for the slightest command
And bark with delight at the touch of his hand;
Oh, he owns a treasure which nobody steals,
Who walks down the road with a dog at his heels.”

~ from A Boy and His Dog by Sherri-Craftymom

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