Anyway, as you can see from our blog this summer, we already went to California!
So when we got back, the search was on! For years now I have been following groups on Facebook like The Winnipeg Humane Society, etc. I will list as many as I found at the end of this post!
I started to follow many more rescues in and around Winnipeg after our trip. For quite a number of years we knew we wanted to rescue a dog, instead of going to a breeder... There are plenty of lovely dogs in shelters that need someone to save them! I told the kids that from what I had seen while watching these sights is that finding a small, young dog that is good with families might take a LONG time...
Over the summer I would watch the rescues on Adopt-a-Pet... Sometimes I would see the sweetest dog, only to find that someone had adopted it already, or it was older than we were looking for, or its temperament would not work with a family. Also, I had heard from some that it is a good idea to drop into these places here and there (or call them) to see if there is a dog that is not on the website yet. I dropped into the Humane Society and Winnipeg Animal Services each once, and called the WHS a few times, only to have them say "Sorry, not right now" when I would ask my question about any young, small dogs that would be good for families... oh and preferably non-shedding. Except at some point, Kurt added that he really likes dachshunds even if they shed because he feels they are really sweet, so anything mixed with a dachshund was added to the list.
Here are some sweeties that I tried to call about but weren't available or wouldn't have worked with a family... There are more actually, but here's a good idea! I'd get so excited each time, and would often get my sister all excited along with me!
So!! Over a week ago, on September 22nd, the boys were at mom and dad's because there was a school inservice. When I picked them up, I thought that maybe this could be another time to go to WHS because it's so close to my parents', and because it's good for them to visit the WHS even if there probably wouldn't be a dog. So, without getting my hopes up, I walked in and asked my question: Do you happen to have any small, young dogs that would be good with families... but this time they didn't say no. The lady pointed to the first little room beside the reception area and said there was a dachshund mix... so I walked over and:
I got tears in my eyes and asked "Why does she look so sad?" Poor little lady! I learned her name is Skye, which I think is beautiful because it reminds me of the Skye Boat Song, a lilting slow tune. We were told she is 1.5 years old, so even though she is young, she is fully grown... which means she will look like a cute little puppy forever!
I started sending Kurt texts about this little lady, while we sat down to find out about adopting her!
We got to meet in a small area in the back where she came out to nervously check us out. I found out during the process of sitting down with an adoption worker that she had been given up, then adopted out by someone else then brought back AGAIN because that person said they were allergic. Poor little lady had been back and forth and back and forth! She was probably so distraught! We got to go out and take her for a little walk... That was when I saw her happy little jog and I knew she was a happy girl inside... but every once in a while she would remember she was sad and just lie down on the ground... awww!
By now my texts had changed to more along the lines of "We are getting this dog!
She will be in your house when you get home!" Lol!
The kids were making pleading faces, and asking if he was answering yet!
Eventually we spoke to eachother on the phone, so he knew she was coming home!
The boys were so happy! We set up the adoption, bought food, treats, and a leash and collar, and came home! Our little guy said that we finally have a "little sister"! Awww!
Nervously leaving WHS...
I went and got my sister's crate for her to sleep in... we were told at WHS that she is really shy and probably would appreciate having a safe place to retreat and relax. She seems to already be fine with that... she also seems quite good at waiting to go outside to do her doggy business :-)
The first to second day... we were trying to figure out what she would eat, and nervous about how nervous she was... and it was so cute how quickly Kurt just fell in love with her like we did!
So! By the second night, Kurt brought home cuddly beds, and treats!
She loves her walks, and she is getting less shy every day! I actually run with her in the morning when I wake up! She's making me exercise more!
For the first few days she was quite nervous when I left and Kurt said she whined... other than that she didn't (and doesn't) really make any noise! Now she seems concerned when I leave but she is okay with it... she still follows me around the house if I get up. Pretty quick actually because it's only been a week and a half!
She sleeps a LOT! I looked it up to see how much dachshunds sleep and it can be as much as 20 hours a day! LOL!
Ahhh! So cute!!
Cottage cuddle...
Also, the vet (I went on the Friday the 26th) said she only really needs 2 walks of 15 mins a day... in fact we were pretty busy on the Saturday and she was just POOPED! So we know she likes to chill a LOT! We took her to the beach on the weekend and she LOVED the beach.
First sunset...
A Saturday morning walk...
Checking out the water...
That was also when we found out that she can bark! She barked at a few dogs that "dared" to come on the same beach as her... haha!
Meeting some new friends on Clubhouse Beach...
Proud little guy with a sweet little girl!
She is so cute how she goes CRAZY when I get up to walk her in the morning, and when I come home with the boys after school! She jumps, and uses her paws to grab my arms and kisses! Then after her happy little walks she is back to lounging on her blanket with us! What a sweetie! She is truly the calmest, gentlest dog... People keep saying we really lucked out with finding her and rescuing her... and we agree!
Here are various rescues! It is better to follow them on Facebook, because often that is the most up to date with which animals are available. These ones were those which I felt were reasonable distances from Winnipeg... so no more than 3 hours away.... but 3 hours would have been a stretch!
Winnipeg Humane Society
Winnipeg Animal Services
Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue
Manitoba Underdogs Rescue
Earthdog Terrier Rescue
Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter
Boston Terrier and Pug Rescue of Southern Manitoba
Manitoba Pug Rescue
Hull's Haven Border Collie Rescue
Jenn's Furry Friends Rescue
D'Arcy's Arc
Gimli Humane Society
Portage Animal Welfare Society
Pembina Valley Humane Society
Brandon Humane Society
Funds for Furry Friends
It's a Dog's Life
What I learned by following many of these groups on Facebook (and I'm sure I'm missing some) is there are a LOT of wonderful people around our province who want to help stray dogs from around the province and even bringing them in from the States. Not only are these people who run these shelters super caring, but they have a network of people who foster dogs because often the rescue is not an actual shelter with space for pets so they need to rely on foster homes for these dogs to stay until they are adopted... When a dog has a condition like mange or parvo, these people are anxious and heartbroken for these scared animals... it is truly amazing to see! I'm so happy we were able to rescue a dog. We marvel at how she was given up twice! She is so adorable!
I'd love to thank my sweet friend, Faith Loewen, who was so helpful and had so many things to share about looking for a rescue dog, and tried to go above and beyond to help me find a dog! Thank you!
I'd also like to thank my sister for being so excited with me when I thought I found dogs throughout the summer and early fall! It's fun to have someone to be excited with! On that note, my mom and dad were great listening to various different dog stories, and so great with bringing over lovely presents and treats when we got Skye!
And also it has been lovely watching the boys and Kurt be so sweet with this little, nervous, and shy girl! The boys just naturally calmed down around her and they are so sweet with her!
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