Rescue Me: September 2009

Right before Honey went to her forever home, the foster coordinator emailed me asking if we would be willing to take Cherry the following Friday. I said absolutely! So, on August 28th I went to pick her up. I had seen her pictures on Petfinder but when she came trotting out to see me in the kennel, I was surprised by how small she was! In her pictures I thought she'd be so much bigger but she's actually got stumpy little legs and she's low to the ground. She is adorable! She could stand to lose a few pounds but with all of her peppy walking, I'm sure we're making progress.

Cherry is a 2 year old beagle who was surrendered in October of 2008 when her family decided they no longer wanted her or her puppies and dropped them off at a high-kill shelter in TN. Once again, Sam and Honey's foster mom came to the rescue and took them all. Cherry is a very social girl so when a foster space freed up, GDRNE decided they would transport her up north to find her new home.

When Cherry and I walked out of the kennel that day, we walked around the grounds together while she sniffed everything. When the time came to get in the car and go home, she didn't seem very interested in hopping into it, so I lifted her into the backseat. Once she was in she found a nice sweet spot on the seat and promptly curled up for a nice snooze. She dozed in a little ball for the entire ride back and seemed perfectly at ease in the car.

When we got home, I took her and Gabe for a walk and she showed me that she is a peppy little walker! She has the cutest little trot and sometimes does a little skipping thing with her back legs when she's excited or wants to go faster. It is so funny to watch her stout little legs moving so fast. In the words of a friend, go beagle, go! We took a 45 minute walk and she did great, stopping to sniff many things but eager to continue the walk. When we finally arrived back home she explored the house a bit and cried a little. I laid a blanket in the crate and put it in the entrance to the kitchen and living room and after checking it out, she laid in it for awhile. When Alan came home she got really excited, prancing around the door all silly and goofy, so excited for this new person! She wouldn't eat her dinner but instead laid back down in her crate and took a little nap, waking frequently to see what was going on in this new place.

Cherry has adjusted to us really well. She gets to run around in our newly fenced in yard, and loves to wriggle in the grass or lay in the sun. She's been great about walking with us at least twice a day, has gotten pretty frisky with one of the many tennis balls in the yard, and has been pretty content to just nap on the couch or loveseat during the times when we're not doing anything special. Whenever she's napping or just laying and she hears us walk by, she rolls over on her back and moves her legs for a belly rub. She loves treats and has been eating much better and she doesn't mind relaxing in her crate while we're at work or have to run errands, as long as she gets a treat on her way in. She is such a laid back dog, with a really sweet personality. She has that distinctive beagle bark but she doesn't do it often, though she makes me laugh when she's turning in circles looking for the perfect spot to do her business in the yard, because she barks a bit while she's determining where to go. It is the funniest thing!

It makes me so sad to think that this sweet, sweet dog, this adorable soft and squishy animal who asks for nothing more than food, water and to be loved, would have been put to sleep simply because her owners decided they did not want her anymore. When I look at that little brown face I can't even imagine why someone gave her up in the first place. Cherry deserves a second chance and luckily, she has been given it. We have a meet and greet next Saturday and I am confident that she will put her best paw forward and someone will fall in love with her. I am counting down the days until Cherry finds her forever home...are you that home?