New Old Dog

I've said this many times before, but thank God for dog rescue people, most notably Lynn and Cindy. If you are thinking of getting a dog, and you just watched a dog show and saw the coolest/cutest/greatest dog ever, please take the time to find out what the particular DRAWBACKS of that breed might be. Every breed is different, obviously, but the differences are not always as apparent as the visible differences and they are absolutely essential to how the dog will fit or not fit into your life...and here's the thing: when a dog comes into your home, he or she is part of your family, and you are part of his or hers. You wouldn't get rid of Grandpa for incontinence, would you? OK, maybe you would, in which case you shouldn't be in charge of a dog either. Our personal obsession is afghan hound rescue, but every breed has a rescue group, because every breed has a pool of people who think of dogs as accessories, instead of thinking, feeling, emotional beings. I'm being a little harsh and preachy, aren't I? OK, I'm going to lighten up, thank Lynn and Cindy, and showcase the amazing, sweet, darling, funny, smart, doofy dogs that we have been lucky to have as part of our lives.

Olivia isn't really this scary, but she is a strong, bossy, in your face kind of girl. She runs the other dogs, although it looks like Amigo is going to mellow his way through her force of will.

Milo came to us through a newspaper ad...my husband's nickname is Milo, so it caught his eye. Milo was a pet store purchase...the guy said he was giving him away because he wasn't breeding material, plus he had started to have seizures and the guy didn't want the vet bills. I should have known from the smirk on his wife's face that the REAL problem with Milo is, he's untrainable. Fortunately, he's tiny and so are his mistakes. And now that he wears pants in the house, problem solved. And he loves his big, blind buddy Neo.

Beau is the biggest heartbreak and the most wonderful rescue story...he was the first rescue dog we were given, although we ended up with Neo first, long story long, which I will skip here. Beau was a dog that touched the soul of everybody who met him, and stole the heart of everybody who got to spend any time with him. I can't explain his hold on me; we just had a connection that was a once or twice in a lifetime kind of thing. Afghans live 8-10 years...Beau was nearly 13 when we let him go...until the last few months he was gallumphing around like a puppy and just as happy to be here as, well, a puppy.

Afghan hounds are beautiful, smart, independent, quiet, non-smelly (no fat, no oil, no drool) and loyal. They are also high maintenance grooming-wise, sometimes neurotic (Beau couldn't go through a doorway that was partially blocked, even if only visually), aloof, willful, and have short life spans. They will always break your heart. If you loved your labrador retiever, please don't get an afghan hound. But do get in touch with the rescue organization of the breed of dog you love; every day someone realizes they made a mistake and another beautiful dog needs a loving home. Even more tragically, someone loses their home or becomes infirm and has to give up a loved companion, usually a dog that is old enough not many people want to adopt him. While it is heartbreaking, it is also incredibly rewarding to be the loving family for a dog in the last few years of his life. To learn more about rescuing dogs of all breeds, go to http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm