I don't want to live without a dog. At this time I have 3 with me, probably my upper limit...I have NEVER had more than one dog at a time till last year. They are all rescued, 2 from kill shelters and my newest from a local rescue league...here they are en masse...
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The big boy is Jasper, who has been here since early 2011. The mid size dog is Rocco, here almost 7 months...The beagle is Betsy Beagle, here almost 3 months...
Of course, they are all individuals with their stories and personalities.
Introducing Jasper Jax, who is a Lab/Rottweiler, and who was found in Georgia alongside a back road with a broken back leg. He was rescued from a kill shelter, and had several surgeries and his GA foster mom cared for him for nearly 2 years before we got him up here in south east PA. He is 5, about 105 pounds, and a big goof...
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Rocco is also from Georgia, where he was found wandering as a stray. There is evidence he lived most of his 7 years outside on a chain. He has scars and his chest fur was gone...he has chronic ear and skin infections and is now on thyroid meds which are clearing all that up...He probably never had any medical treatment in his life. He still has a hard time with stairs and he is just learning to be a civilized dog, but he LOVES being inside and he has made himself MY DOG..he follows me everywhere. When I went to pick him up in Delaware 6 months ago, we first saw each other from about 40 yards away, and he immediately started wagging his tail, like he KNEW I was coming for him...I'm convinced dogs know things we have no idea of and they are more complex than we understand them to be..but that's just me.
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Betsy's lifelong humans are gone - one died, the other in a nursing home. She was in a local rescue league, and was the ONLY dog left after their "gray muzzle" special event for older dogs - she is 10. I saw her online, and packed up the 2 guys to go meet her. We brought her home 3 months ago this weekend...
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She carries too much weight and often pees in the house, but we are starting to do better at taking her out many times a day, and she is starting to understand she is home...she loves that dog bed.
My wife of nearly 20 years died in November 2011, and the dogs are really good for me...Jasper has been such a great companion, and the others are as well. If you can take a shelter dog, I strongly urge you to do so...You both will be better off for it.
Jasper's facebook page...https://www.facebook.com/...
OK, back to politics...