After being with Julia's dog Zoey (she is adorable...part Beagle) this weekend, then seeing all the Corgis at book group Tuesday night and my brother and his wife's adoption at Petco of Magic who is part Great Pyrenees, I decided we needed a dog in our lives. Kerry agreed.I filled out our application to raise a puppy for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). I got the application last year. We met a couple in Palm Desert last November who were raising a puppy for CCI. They told me where to go to get the application. I got it and then my sister got so sick; I just didn't think I could handle anything more.
She walked eight feet today and had the final tube taken out of her belly so I thought...you know we could have a wonderful time raising a puppy who can go everywhere. That's the point of having it. It could be Best Dog at the wedding (Zoey isn't coming). So I dropped our application in the mailbox yesterday.
I used to be a foster mom to rescued Golden Retrievers. I took the dogs who were closer to the end of life than the beginning. It was hard but I did it because these dogs deserve better at the end. Now I'd like to look at the beginning of life. You have the puppy for 16-18 months and then return it to CCI for further training and hopefully placement with someone who really needs a dog. I say hopefully because not all dogs make it. Some become breeders and others are available for adoption.
You can get another puppy at that point or opt out. They asked for the name and phone number of our vet to find out if we are good pet owners. I think we will rate pretty high after they find out that we had a CAT scan, ultrasound and spinal tap for Emily when she developed seizures. I know that money is not the determining factor here, but I hope love and determination to help an animal are.
