We have talked off and on about getting a dog for a long time. We’ve lived in apartments the last decade or so and it really wasn’t an option. But it was always sort of there, floating around. As we’ve settled in to our house over the last couple years, deciding to add a dog to our family became a real option. I’ve always lived with pets and I love having them around. Now that our youngest is two it seemed like we might actually be able to start making the idea of having a dog a reality. In January we started researching rescue groups and talking to friends and trying to find a group we wanted to work with.

I ended up connecting with Safe Hands Rescue. I talked a bit with them and filled out an adoption application. They asked us to come to one of their adoption events to meet some of the dogs we were interested in. It was almost scary as things started to become real but we were in no rush and were happy to spend as much time on it as we needed to find the best fit for us. Now, we weren’t planning on getting a dog right away. We just wanted to start the process. Famous last words! They’re all just so frickin cute!

By the end of the event, we had a short list of three dogs we were interested in. It’s very hard to not just fall in love with all of them! We did a quick interview with an adoption coordinator while we were there and were on our way.

The dog we were most interested in by the time we left, was one that wasn’t even on our list when we got there. This was really just because I hadn’t looked too closely at his profile. He is a two year old Cocker Spaniel mix (our vet thinks Cocker Spaniel and Papillon) and is black with floppy ears. He’s 18lbs and a bit underweight but not by much. When he was first found, they had mislabeled him as being female. By the time he got to the rescue group they were surprised to find he was instead an intact male!

After going over everything, they determined we would probably be a good fit for this dog so his foster mom brought him over to see the house and meet everyone. We hadn’t been telling the kids too much because we didn’t want them to get too excited and we didn’t know how long it would take to find a good fit. They were just THRILLED.

He was just amazing when he came over. Just the sweetest little dog. He was so very tolerant of the children wanting to hug him and play with him. He wasn’t the least bit interested in our aging cat either. By the end of the meeting, he had climbed up into my lap and fallen asleep. We were all so in love with him it was hard to see him go.

One week later, we finalized his adoption and he came home to stay with us. He has been with us for a month now but it feels like so much longer. He’s a wonderful friend and companion and we can’t imagine life without him. It’s all the same things everyone says I’m sure but it’s astonishing how true it really is.

We’ve named him Remy and he and I are best friends now. He’s always at my side and is very, very sweet. He’s very good with the kids even when they’re not perfect with him. My daughter has already put a ribbon on his fur more than once. My youngest likes to sneak Remy his crackers when he thinks I’m not looking. Remy loves to frolic in the snow but he’s still thin so he doesn’t like to be outside for too long in the cold. My oldest and Remy like to run around the yard chasing each other until they’re too tired to do anything but come in and collapse. He’s learning his name and is doing well with commands. He loves to be with us and be a part of the game.

He’s a delight to have around even though he’s comfortable being here enough that he’s starting to be naughty hehe…

If you are looking to add a member to your family, please consider adopting an animal. If you adopt an animal, please consider supporting the great people at Safe Hands Rescue. You can see their available pets on their Petfinder listing and “like” their facebook page to keep current with their events. If you would like to volunteer with them, please contact them!

Thank you to everyone at Safe Hands Rescue for all your help in matching us with Remy (formerly Monty). I would like to especially thank his foster mom Amy for going above and beyond in caring for him and helping me through the process.  You are all doing amazing work.

Now of course, there has to be pictures. He’s still not so sure about the studio with all the lights and me asking him to sit in a spot that’s NOT right next to me, but we’ll get there!