Wednesday, September 8, 2010

How Did You Happen Upon Your Animals?


Over 7 years ago, I was living in Bayonne, NJ. I was married and my husband frequently spent several months overseas for business. Many times I was lonely and decided to get a dog. I love dogs. It didn’t matter if it was a puppy, a young dog, an older one…I just wanted a dog.

I told everyone I knew! There I was talking with a friend on the bus ride home from work and mentioned I wanted a dog. Her assistant was sitting across from us and she said she was thinking of giving of their puppy because they didn’t have time for him. Three days later Cody came to live with me. He’s a big black lab, Weinmaraner mix and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I think he was meant to be with me.

As Cody grew older, I started thinking that he needed a younger dog to play with. Now we are living in Oxnard, CA in a house with a yard too. I was looking on Craigslist and checking out the local shelter. I was talking with my boss one Monday and he mentioned he brought home a 6-month old Springer Spaniel who was going either to a shelter or rescue group. My boss hated that idea! I said I was looking for another dog but he was giving the pup to his inlaws. The next day I received a phone call asking if I wanted Copper. The answer was of course YES! I think he was meant to be with me too.

Both dogs are energetic and Copper even more so. I love them both and they get along very well. I wouldn‘t trade them for anything.

So tell me, how did you happen upon your pets?
Thanks.
Annie
Ann Kvittum

16 comments:

Three Wishes Collective said...

Annie - I love your story and what a great picture of Cody and Copper! My husband and I told our kids that if we ever got a house, we'd get a dog. We both took a type of dog compatibility test and the only dog that showed up near the top of the list for both of us was a beagle. Back then, I didn't know about rescues and so forth so I searched on the internet basically for beagle pups, ohio. We found a breeder who raised beagles for hunters and they had 3 left that nobody wanted. Velvet came up to us and wanted to play. The owner said she was the one who lead all of the escapes, so we chose her :)

Giupetto and Gianna Tails said...

Great post Annie, and great pictures. Those doggies really lucked out finding such a great home.
I had a rabbit Cyrano, that I loved but he died when he was 3. Hubby new I had to have something to love on, so we decided to see if there was any dog that would meet our needs. We also took compatibility tests, low activity, non-shedding, easy to train, etc, and one at the top was called a Mi-Ki (pronounced Me-Key). Fairly new and rare breed, so we had to go on the hunt, and found a breeder with 2 pups, and we got Giupetto. He was such a perfect dog for us, and everything the personality had described. So 6 months later we got another Mi-Ki, Gianna. Our house has never been the same, and we love every minute of it. :-)

makingstuffwithlove said...

What a wonderful idea for a post! I love hearing stories of people and their pets! Your two are beautiful!

I have three rescues and one 'purchased' dog :) From the time I was small I've loved Maltese. They are so close to their oweners and usually won't give anyone else the time of day. So when I got my own place, less than a month later I bought my first Maltese, Einstein. And he was my baby, for 10 years. When I had to have him put to sleep, I lasted two days until I found my next Maltese and James and I made the 700 mile round trip to go get Montana, my 'baby' now :) Along the way, though, we've 'picked up' several other dogs as well. My SIL got a new puppy and when we went to see him -- I wanted him... Be careful what you wish for, when they couldn't train him, guess where he went :) I had the greatest dog who ever lived, named China, who came from our local shelter. She was a bigger dog and was here for the 'protection' of a single girl. She lived out her life here on the farm and has been replaced by another big rescue dog, Chance. And finally, my latest is a Yorkie rescue who wasn't being taken care of. I don't see how anybody could have been mean to this little dog. He is destructive as the devil, but we just keep things out of his reach -- matter of fact, he chewed up James' belt last night lol But that was James' fault for leaving it where he could get it, right?

Hope you aren't sorry you asked about my 'babies'... Kind of like someone pulling out a bunch of photos of their grandkids lol I could talk about them all day :)

Pup Fan said...

Great story! My current pup came to us through Petfinder, actually. I used to go through the listings constantly and keep sending dogs to my boyfriend to look at. He finally agreed to at least go see Bella during a local adoption day, and the rest is history! I think he knew that as soon as he agreed to just go meet her, we would end up adopting her. :)

AngelPups said...

Great feature, Annie!! It's amazing how our dogs find US!?!

My story is actually the first (ridiculously long) post on my blog from a couple months ago....but Evelyn Woods version is that I searched for over a year at shelters, petfinder, breeders before I found Big Mac in Missouri and had him shipped to us on my birthday in '06. Then while searching for a sweatshirt that would fit him near Christmas '07 I wandered into a disgusting pet store and saw the cutest, most desperate mangy pup and had to save her...Molly had been there, locked in a metal cage for almost 4months and they were "getting rid of her" because she was such a "waste"?!? She also shared my birthday, so I knew God put me in that shop for a reason (I never usually go into a pet store...and that one has since been shut down!) She was home with us the next morning. Then I started volunteering at a local shelter this year. I figured I was safe because I would only want a small, non-shedding dog and they usually have big dogs...within a few months a little doxie/terrier mix showed up from TN weighing 6 pounds and looking at me like she couldn't understand why I hadn't gone to the office to start the paperwork yet ;-) She came home to join the "crew" the next morning....As it happens, there are two litters of doxie mixes at the shelter right now (I haven't been there since they came in)...Is four a possibility??? We shall see! ;-)

Art and Sew Forth said...

Lucky dogs...lucky mom! I really do believe there is a pet that is "meant" to be with each of us!
I currently have three guinea pigs. CG and Thea were from the humane society that my DIL was working at. Someone had been hording animals and they were taken to the shelter. She knew how much I loved gray pigs so she called me right away. They were tiny and so cute! And really needed baths!
Tooey was from a pet store. We weren't going there for guinea pigs, but came home with two because they were closing the shop and they were free with a bag of food. I WAS just going to take the gray and white one, but my son insisted on both. The gray one died about a year later, but Tooey-the one with all the personality, is my fave!

Anonymous said...

Loved reading the story. Where to begin? To start off, all the dogs in my life, with two exceptions, have been strays. Our first dog, Jamis, was from a breeder, the runt of the litter. He was also the smartest one in that litter IMO. Our second dog ended up being two dogs, Pancho and Christie. Pancho came to us first, given to us by a neighbor who found him wondering in the street. Christie came to us a few months after Pancho. She had followed my cousin Ramona home one day. Ramona's family couldn't keep Christie because their dog didn't like her so she came to live with my family. Our final dog, Sandy, came from a shelter. I had her for eighteen years. All the dogs I've known since Sandy have been owned by someone else but I have had a hand in caring for them. I am still hoping to have another canine companion of my own someday.

L. Carol Christopher said...

I loved your post Annie, and understand how it feels to believe your pets and you were meant to be together.

Rosie was a rescue mix of Corgi-Jack Russell-Australian shepherd. I was only going to foster her for the night to save her from the pound. She was at full term pregnancy when I got her.

Before I knew it she had become a part of my life. Playmate, friend, companion, confidante, soul mate. She was about 3 and a half or four when she came to live with me, and I had her for 12 years and a couple of months. It was probably the hardest 12 years of my life, and she got me through it to the other side where life is good again. I'm so grateful to have had the privilege of being her "owner", for all the love and affection this perfect little dog showed me, and for all she taught me about how to live in the world.

Nancy Trujillo said...

What great stories. Loved Copper & cody's picture. They look so innocent :-), but we know better, don't we Annie!
I have two cats who I love dearly. Our pets are our family and bring joy and comfort to our lives. Couldn't imagine being without them.

Pauline said...

Enjoyed reading this story - so heartwarming and the love they receive shows in the doggie's eyes....what beautiful dogs...what a beautiful owner...beautiful story!!

Unknown said...

Wonderful story Annie! I love that photo of them...too cute!!

MsAnomaly said...

Annie, your 2 boys were def meant to be with you...and the Etsy Beagles team, too! :)
We love hearing of their adventures, and Copper is such a character! My Flash was rescued by our neighbor, who couldn't keep him because his fiancee was very allergic to him. My eldest son decided to bring the neighbor and the beagle to our house to make the adoption plea (we already had a Walker Hound). When my other son joined the group, and I had to look at 3 pair of big sad brown eyes (2 pair from my sons, and of course, Flash's) I couldn't say no! It was the best decision I ever made! Flash is my precious "baby beagle boy!"

HappyDapperDogs said...

Wonderful topic Annie! Oh, how we do love to talk about our pets! Angel (a long-haired Miniature Dachshund) was given to us as a gift from a friend who stayed with us while recouping from heart surgery. Her registered name is Texas Angel, after the song by Honey Browne: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCbuFebVVWE
Boudreaux was a surrender, we got about 3yrs ago. He was 3 yrs old when we got him. The young family he lived with had to get rid of him because he had bit their little boy several times. He was overweight, stressed, and very angry when we got him. The first week we had him, I thought we had made a big mistake because he was snapping and growling at all of us, even Angel. But with much gentle reassurance, and patience, he's turned into a real sweetheart. He's still very leary of children though. I wish everyone would take a compatibility test before they bring a pet into a situation that's not conducive to the family or the pet. I've really enjoyed reading about everyone's precious pets, thanks!

SassySashadoxie said...

Love the blog today.
Sasha came into my life after my old doxie mix had to be put to sleep. I was morning pretty heavily for him. He was a rescue with lots of issues that bonded with me big time. We spent over 10 years together. It was heartbreaking. Well, after that, Mom took me to look at some dachshund pups she saw advertized in the paper. There was no doxie rescues at the time at the human society which is very rare that we get them here anyways. Well, we went to look at the pups. I played with them all. She was the runt and misfit of the litter. I was really loving her facial markings. Then, Sasha picked me by touching her nose to mine and then laying her head on my shoulder. It was like she was saying. OK, you will do. Now give me some love, some treats, and spoil me rotten. The rest is history.

AlliesAdornments said...

Sweet stories!

Giupetto and Gianna Tails said...

I loved reading everyones stories.
Diana