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New Stories Coming Soon! If you have adopted a dog from us and have a success story, please submit it to us. Some of the pictures below may get larger by clicking on them.
June 2004
I just wanted to send you an update about
Rio. He is quite the
pampered pet. The girls dote on him all day long. Julianna loves to give him
gentle hugs and helps me brush him in the evenings. She calls him her "perfect
dog." Michele follows him around hoping to catch up so that she can wrap her
little arms around him and rest her head on his shoulders or his head. Then she
proceeds to have a conversation with him while she gives him gentle pats.
Michele will look for his tennis ball and either roll it right in front of his
nose where he can grab it or bring the ball to him and wait for him to take it
ever so gently. Of course, both girls are winning his trust by giving him Milk
Bones.
Todd and Julie did a fabulous job with Rio while he was in foster care. Todd
washed him weekly and brushed out his coat. He
also lost about 10+ lbs. playing with their two Goldens. Poor Rio only gets one
cup of weight control food in the morning and one cup in the evening. Frankly,
his food doesn't look or smell very appetizing. As a result of his diet, he
"Hoovers" under the table after we finish a meal in hopes of catching
any fallen crumbs. We eat most of our meals at home, so I'm constantly cooking
in the
kitchen and Rio is "the island" that you have to step over in order
to get to the frig. He constantly reminds me that he would be a willing volunteer
to taste
what I'm cooking. So when I'm prepping the fresh veggies, I'll give him a bite
or two. I've never seen a dog eat raw vegetables with such enthusiasm! I told
Rio that he can have his Kong toy (stuffed with lots of yummy things) after he
reaches his ideal weight. Until then, he can only have Milk Bones and raw
veggies (I think he likes the crunch).
It's obvious that Rio hasn't been around small children for a while. He was very
cautious when the girls came up to say hello or to play with him in the
beginning. He would walk away from them and find refuge by my side. I would ask
him to lay down and have the girls come over quietly and sit on either side of
him by his face. Julianna would speak softly to him while stroking his head or
rubbing his ears. (If it's just Rio and Julianna, he'll shut his eyes and
occasionally let out a big sigh when she's rubbing his ears.) Michele would try
to restrain her enthusiasm and pat him softly (though she still has a hard time
controlling her 1 yr. old fast twitch muscles) and lay her head on him ( that's
her special head hug). Now he is fine with them and accepts their love. Getting
Milk Bone treat from the girls has done wonders. I told Rio that he'd better
make friends with the girls because that's where his treat are coming from. He's
getting the picture. Now he'll pick up one of the girl's soft toys and bring it
to one of us.
We've been walking Rio in the evening around our neighborhood. The neighbors and
fellow dog walkers have been commenting how beautiful he is. If they only knew
how special he is. When we first laid our eyes on Rio, there was an instant
connection. He gazed into our eyes and held that contact for a long time. At one
point he calmed down enough to stand still and wag his tail, and the same time,
smile at us revealing only his front teeth while gazing into our eyes. It was
such a human connection at that moment. I think he knew that we were his forever
family and he was going home.
Rio has made our family complete again. All of our hearts are filled with
unconditional love. Julianna, Michele, and Rio are our reminders of what's most
important in this world -- love. Children and pets reteach adults (if they're
paying attention) how to be free so that they can give and accept love
unconditionally.
Love,
Millie Chen-Murphy