Adoption Day - Feb 16th, 2013

Feb 16th, 2013 : Callie's Adoption Day!

I can't help but share Callie's adoption story!  

When we were first married, Andrew and I moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Indianapolis, Indiana.  We were having a hard time finding work in Grand Rapids, and thought Indianapolis would have some better opportunities for us.

When we first moved, Andrew took the first job he could get...a manager at McDonalds working 3rd shift.  This unfortunate situation left me home alone all night and alone during the day while Andrew slept in a new town where we didn't know anyone.  We lived in an apartment, and although I wanted a dog to keep me company, I didn't feel it would be fair to a dog to keep them cooped up in an apartment all day.  

Being an animal lover, Andrew convinced me that we should get a cat to keep me company.  Less maintenance than a dog and perfect for apartment life.

 After years of renting, we moved back to Michigan and purchased our our first house in October of 2012.....and I immediately starting thinking about getting a dog.  It took a few months, but Andrew finally started to come around to the idea. 

I started looking at dogs on Petfinder, and found one adorable dog.  I was not looking for adopt a puppy, but an older dog who needed a home.  Andrew however was not quite ready, and after leaving for work on Saturday, made me promise I wouldn't go to the adoption event at Petco to go meet the dog I found on Petfinder.  I said yeah yeah.....and promptly drove to Petco to go see the dog.  Well, when I got there, the dog had already been adopted.  I looked at the clock, I still had 4 hours before Andrew got off of work....and the phrase "in for a penny in for a pound" went though my head...so I might as well go across the street to the conveniently located Humane Society right? 

Concluding that the people who run the Humane Society hate me,  I go into the Humane Society and ask to see their older dogs.  I am sure it is a conspiracy, because they keep putting their locations in easy to find places near where I live.  

Walking in, I ask to see their older dogs.  They give me a quick tour and let me go look around.  Sadly, I didn't make a connection with any of the dogs.  On the way out, I looked at the puppy kennels.  There were 8 puppies, 4 in each kennel.  7 of them ran up to the front of the kennel to greet me.  Tails wagging, jumping up on the cage door, and doing their adorable puppy barks.  But one stayed back in the blankets and barley lifted her head to say hi.  That really stuck out to me, I felt bad for her, in the cage with all those rambunctious puppies and she was just so sad.    

I looked at the clock....still had a few hours before I needed to pick Andrew up from work....so I headed to the next county over's Humane Society, in yet another convenient location that was way to easy to find.  Again, I didn't make any connections with any of the dogs.  The staff assured me that they were getting in more dogs later that week from another shelter in Indiana and I might want to check back then.  

I went to go pick up Andrew, firm that I wouldn't tell him of my escapades that day with going to see dogs.  But while I was waiting for him to finish his shift, I started thinking about that sad little puppy in the back of her kennel.  She looked so depressed, I couldn't stop thinking about how horrible it must be for her in that kennel when everyone was coming to see all the other puppies and no one was looking at her.  Andrew got in the car, and asked me what was wrong, he could see how upset I had gotten thinking about that little dog.

So, I told him what I had done.  I told him I met a dog, well, I looked at a dog, and I think she needs us.  I told Andrew it was up to him if he wanted to go meet her or not, I wasn't that attached yet.

Andrew just looked at me, rolled his eyes, and told me to drive.

We pull up to the Humane Society and Andrew starts cleaning out the back seat of the car.  I ask him what he is doing, and he just looks at me and says "Do you really think we are walking out of here with out a dog?".  Honestly, I thought we would.

We walk in and I point to the sad little puppy in the back of the kennel.  Andrew looks at me, says he refuses to leave that poor dog alone, and tells me to go fill out the paperwork while he stays with her.

They require we fill out pre-adoption paperwork before we get to meet the puppy.  As I am filling out the paperwork, the staff brings the puppy (named Jelly) into what I like to call, the sucker room.  It is a small room with some dog and cat toys so you can meet your potential new pet.  

Jelly promptly takes a huge poop on the floor of the sucker room.  She then grabbed a tennis ball (which was bigger than her head) and proceeds to preset it to Andrew.  We sat on the floor with her, and she proceeds to climb in my lap.  That is when we took the picture below.

The staff member walks back into the sucker room after about 10 min and asks if we would like to adopt her, Andrew said yes immediately.