How good life can be

Cole had first been adopted out as a pup. He was kept as a family dog and lived indoors until he grew "too big" and was then relegated to a crate in the garage like an unwanted toy. Desperate for attention, he barked whenever he saw his family, which made them push him farther away until he was finally dumped back at the shelter. I wouldn't blame a dog if he became bitter and distrustful of people after going through that, but Cole never did. He remained a happy, friendly dog, craving human attention and affection.

Friday morning, having taken the day off from work, I loaded up Cole and Maya and we headed down to southwest Virginia. A few weeks ago I had been contacted by folks who had adopted a shepherd from me in February, 2010. Toby (formerly Dakota) is still with them and doing fine, but they had recently lost his 14 year old companion. He needed a new friend and they found that a one dog household was just too quiet.

It was about a three hour drive, but the dogs traveled well, and when we got there Cole was ready to do what he does best, wag his tail and make friends. It's a great home on the side of a mountain with a very large fenced yard. They have a smaller fenced yard within that area with access to the house through a doggie door for when they are at work. The house is dog-friendly and all the residents, human and canine, were as well.

The dogs are part of everything in their lives -- a big part. It's one of those homes you just love to adopt to and I was thrilled that they came back to me for their next dog and weren't hung up on the idea of a purebred, just wanting a good dog.

The pictures say it all, better than I can hope to.