Some good news

It's really nice to have some good news to share.  Where to start...

Chilly won!  I was amazed that a mixed bully breed dog from sleepy central Virginia was selected as a finalist in the HSUS Pets of Valor contest and had thought, "that's great, but no one I know ever wins anything like that, so that's the end of it."  Wrong, in a vote split between 4 dogs and 1 cat, Chilly garnered enough votes to edge out the cat and come in first.  I'm very happy for all those involved. 

Chilly's owner has gone through some tough times, and although this won't fix any of that, I hope it will give her a sense of accomplishment and a realization that people appreciate what she did for the dog, as well as what the dog did for her.  She saved the dog's life and the dog saved her life in return, how sweet is that?  Chilly had been adopted from my most local shelter run by the Fluvanna County SPCA.  The shelter will be getting a donation of dog food from the sponsor of the contest.  Chilly gets a sterling silver tag and I don't know what else, but she's already won the ultimate grand prize for a shelter dog, a loving home. 


Rocky spent Saturday night in a new home with a young woman we met late Saturday morning thanks to a great friend and mutual acquaintance.  Fingers and paws are still crossed for this one, hoping they will hit it off, but what's not to love about Rocky? 

I gave him a bath in the tub on Saturday morning and kept him in my office to dry without getting dirty again.  I put a new, clean collar on him so he'd look his best.  He rode in the front passenger seat most of the way to town looking out the window, even though the entire back of the van was empty and available to him.  He was a little nervous and shy at first when we got there and met a handful of new people.  That's really better than a dog who is overly confident in a new situation.  His reaction was to be a bit reserved, observe and assess the situation and the people, and most importantly, he looked to his trusted friend, me, for reassurance.  It didn't take long before he decided that these folks were all right and she took him home for a few days to see how it goes. 

He's a great dog.  I will miss him when he gets adopted, but I'll be very happy for him that he has a home of his own.  I think this placement stands a good chance of working out, but even if it doesn't, we will learn from the experience and his time will come.