And now my family has grown by two!
I'd like to thank Stacy and Trevor and everyone at Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) Mobile, Alabama for helping me adopt Daphne and Velma.
In the video below, you can hear Trevor talk a bit about their story. He says an owner surrendered 20 dogs to the Mobile County Animal Shelter, and Daphne and Velma were two of those dogs. Not much else is known about the conditions they were living in.
My dog of over ten years, Gertie, passed away in February of this year. I miss that old dog terribly, and miss having a dog as a companion. (You can see a picture of my sweet old Gertie at the bottom of the page)
I have to be at work sometimes for long hours, so I wanted to get two dogs so they could keep each other company on the few days when I have to be away for a long period of time.
ARF told me they had a pair of female dogs that were bonded together. They also feared that Velma would not thrive in a new home without her friend Daphne. So I decided to get both. The video below shows the two dogs, right before I took them home.
Below are a few pictures from our first afternoon together.
Even though these two dogs lived together and are bonded, they relate to the world in very different ways.
Daphne, the larger dog, is having fun. She wants to stick to me like glue. Daphne enjoyed seeing the yard and watching football with me. Daphne acts like she has been a family pet. She appears to be housebroken.
Velma, the dog that appears to be afraid of people, ran into the house, hid in the first corner she could find, and then minutes later found a crate and voluntarily ran into it. Velma seems to be afraid of people, but I'm not sure. Velma seems to enjoy being petted and talked to, but only when in the safety of the crate. When Daphne and I leave the room, Velma whines for us to return, but will not venture out to find us. I am not sure what is wrong with Velma. I wonder if she was confined in some way most of her life,because she panics when I take her outside. When I sit her in the backyard, she looks for somewhere to hide, or she runs to the back door to get back inside.
I have a couple of challenges with these dogs. Velma with her anxiety, of course. And Daphne is heartworm positive. Sometime soon, we will have to start treatment. I have been told heartworm treatment consists of six weeks of crate rest, which will be difficult for this high energy dog. Wish us luck!
The people at ARF do a great job, and they looked quite busy Saturday, even though Alabama was destroying Texas A&M !
If you are considering adopting a pet, The Gulf Coast has numerous animal rescue organizations that do fantastic work. ARF is one of those organizations. Visit their website and see what they have to offer.
http://animalrescuemobile.org/
And I will never forget sweet Gertie. I have already enjoyed watching Daphne attack some of Gertie's old toys. But not a pillow! Not yet, anyway.