I haven't had a celebrity story in a while. I have to own up to the fact that I'm a fan of Twilight. I've read all four books a couple times each. I've seen the movie Twilight in all its cheesiness several times, and I saw New Moon in the theatre recently.
I was pleased to see this story about Rachelle Lefevre adopting two dogs from a shelter who were in danger of being euthanized without adoption. (Lefevre stars as the very evil vampire, Victoria.) On December 17, Lefevre lost her dog Honey. She tweeted on December 30 that she was planning to adopt a new dog, and she has wound up with two!
She wound up taking home Momma Bear, a five year old Cocker Spaniel, and Jack Sprat, a four year old miniature poodle. She is very happy with her new pooches, who she said she had an instant connection with. (Full story (and photo from) at peoplepets.com)
Have you ever adopted from a shelter? I haven't personally, but I've been with friends who were adopting. I almost wound up with a grey kitty named Olive who was a very small version of my Oscar. She was very sweet - reaching through the bars. I couldn't take her home, but I'm sure she found a great home!
--Tammy
Good on her for adopting from a shelter.
One of our dogs, Katie, came from the local shelter, and she is a great dog.
Shelter dogs are just as good as any other dog and are desparate for homes. There are a variety of reasons people don't adopt from a shelter, but frankly I don't think any of them are good. As a volunteer at my local shelter I can tell you that they get virtually every breed of dog in a variety of ages. So if you want a Yorkshire Terrorist (that's what my wife and I are partial to) you can find them. In fact I've seen so many pure bred dogs at the shelter I can't even list them all. And they have them from tiny puppies all the way up to seasoned citizen age.
The best part about adopting from a shelter is that you know you've saved a life, I look into Katie's eyes and know that without us she wouldn't live the life of a spoiled little princess, and that is a wonderful feeling.
Literally millions of cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters every year simply because there aren't enough homes for them, I can't think of a better reason than that to adopt a shelter dog the next time your looking for a four legged friend.
Posted by: Chris | February 10, 2010 at 08:31 AM
Yes, I've had many pets from shelters. The two black cats I have now were fostered by a woman before put up for adoption and they are absolutely the most loving, mellow cats I've ever had.
We've also had dogs from shelters who've been "mutts" and lived longer and healthier lives than any of the purebreds we've had (who have not come from shelters).
I agree with Chris that there is something in the eyes of a shelter animal...gratitude and absolute love. It's as if they know you've given them a life they could never have imagined and they are yours forever. Very special bond...
Posted by: Laurel | February 10, 2010 at 12:51 PM
Our former colleague adopted a Yorkie from a rescue, Chris. Miss Mitzi is starting to be more trusting and Patricia and her husband love her very much!
I know for sure if we ever decide to get a dog, we'll get a shelter dog, or a rescue. I don't care about breed necessarily (although I do favor pugs!) and I would for sure want to give a dog a forever home from a shelter!
We'll rescue cats too. Our Ben is rescued from a bad, abusive place, and he is a great kitty. I really love reading about celebrities adopting from shelters. It restores some faith in humanity! :)
Posted by: Tammy | February 10, 2010 at 01:04 PM
It is heartwarming to hear of a celebrity adopting a dog. Celebrities have so much more influence than they realize; adopting from a shelter is a good influence. :-)
When I was a kid we had a cat that was a stray that we took in, and later a stray dog that we took in. Both would have likely ended up in a shelter. We had a dog that we adopted from a shelter, too. As an adult I've had a stray cat from a friend (the friend couldn't keep it), a shelter kitty, and two "free to a good home" kitties.
Our dog is a mutt but is not from a shelter. We bought her, but not from a breeder -- her dad is a mystery dog who jumped a fence. The cost was minimal as she was being fed decent food and had her first shots. I've never owned a pure-bred animal, though I have thought of it. Between the expense and the potential health issues of a pure breed, it's probably good we didn't end up with one. I wanted a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, for lots of reasons. But mainly because they are a smart, small breed with a loving disposition and a temperament that would mesh with our lifestyle -- and my son was afraid of dogs yet wanted one. The loving disposition was critical. When I chose that breed after researching many, I didn't realize how expensive they were, how many health issues they could have, and how thoroughly you have to check out breeders. Excellent breeders are apparently kinda rare. We looked into a Cavalier rescue dog, but they didn't have any available at the time and then when the rescue finally did get a dog it had nipped at a child and so could not be adopted by us. Fairly so. BTW, it took one day for our son to overcome his fear once we brought home the puppy. Considering the extent of his prior anxiety that is saying a lot. ;-)
I have digressed. I think adoption is wonderful and also that it has its own set of complications. I hope more loving pet people will choose to adopt from a shelter thanks to Rachelle's influence.
Turtlecookie
Posted by: turtlecookie | February 10, 2010 at 09:18 PM
I agree that Rachelle Lefevre is a fabulous role-model and can really educate people about this problem (especially the teen-age and "tween" sets).
All of our pets except one have come from animal shelters. They have all been wonderful companions and two of the dogs are pure breds(like Chris mentioned...you can find almost any breed, size, gender, or age to adopt.
I applaud you Chris for volunteering at our local shelter. We like to donate food, bedding, and other supplies to them whenever we can. The workers at these shelters are kind, compassionate people who deserve our appreciation and support. Volunteering is a great way to do that.
Posted by: Dana | February 11, 2010 at 02:07 PM
I've had several shelter dogs and all were wonderful. My third shelter dog, Chester, an English Springer, won my heart by pawing at me though the cage. I wasn't looking for another dog but the car wash happened to be next to the shelter and I was just passing the time as my car went through the wash when fate led me by his cage. The rest is history...10 wonderful years later he died in his sleep at age 14.
Laurel, celebrating the love of dogs at http://laurelhuntbooks.com
Posted by: Laurel Hunt | February 12, 2010 at 09:48 AM