So, thanks to the internet, I now know that this is a thing. And a wonderful thing at that! Today is National Dog Day, and I saw the photos come up on Instagram and FB before I really knew what it was. And then, of course, went ahead and posted pics of my 3 fur babies without another thought.

But then I looked into it, and what a COOL organization. Supporting rescues and doing peaceful activism against puppy mills, this is a VERY GOOD THING. Go check out their website and see how you can get involved!!

It prompted me to, briefly, share with you about all three of our fur babies and how they came to call us their forever family.

Gretchen and Max together

We’ll start with Gretchen. We rescued Gretchen through the amazing organization Saving Pyrs in Need (SPIN) and she has been a precious addition to our family since she was 7 months old! Since she’s almost 9 now and we weren’t nearly as well documented back then, I don’t have a ton of pics of her as a puppy but her journey to our house was not an easy one.

We first adopted her sister, Daisy, only to find out that she had Distemper. Daisy spent an excruciatingly difficult few weeks with us and we finally had to put her down. But we held her, and hugged her and gave her the best care we could for as long as we could.

SPIN, of course, felt terrible and gave us (free of charge) Daisy’s sister, Gretchen, who had tested free of distemper and needed a good home. The distemper in the litter made adoption unlikely for her, so we were blessed to be able to take her. 9 years later, she has continued to be my best girl.

When our first Pyr, Cedric (also rescued from SPIN) passed from a tumor at age 10, Gretchen (then 6) was devastated. We knew that another dog was in the cards and our vet suggested sooner rather than later to help her with her grief (yes, dogs grieve and it’s very sad).

We weren’t really thinking “puppy” but when we went to the foster home (to look at an older dog), Max got into my purse and took the vet records out and started to chew on them, as if to say, “you really need to just take me home.” And we fell for it. Max has now been with us 2 years and is an absolute doll baby.

Max and Walter

Walter’s story can be found here, and as the latest and youngest addition is for sure getting the most attention right now. He is, officially, our first rescue with his own hasthag. If you’re on instagram, go check out #walterthewonderdog and you’ll get quite the eye full of our new baby.

If you’ve ever considered a pet, please consider getting a rescue. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs that need good homes and just a quick visit to Pet Finder might be just the cure for what ails you. Make sure you have space in your home, your life, and your schedule but if you can make it work and are ready, your best friend may just be waiting for you to be his or her forever home.

Jen