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I know many people simply adopt a puppy just because they think he looks cute and wants a companion. This has been happening more and more, especially in quarantine where people are looking for something to relieve their boredom. However, they later learn that having a dog doesn’t mean they’ll get to play every day and that the dog will leave you alone when you are alone. They need constant attention and you will have to change your whole lifestyle.
Not only do they need daily exercise or their health will stagnate, but it is also necessary for them to go outside so they learn not to poop inside. Then you need to buy quite a few things for them, so it is not cheap to own a dog. I suppose that is what was going on in the minds of the following people as they didn’t want a dog for various reasons. It wasn’t because they didn’t like dogs, they just didn’t think it was in their cards until these pups came into their life.
You can take a look for yourself by scrolling below.
Storm came to me one late night 10 years ago when a rescue I fostered for called needing an emergency foster. I had been working exclusively with shepherds and knew nothing of huskies. Two fosters had already bailed on her and they were in a pinch. “Take her home and keep her kenneled, she’ll prolly try to eat your cats” she said. “It’s only for one night, as we have an adopter lined up for her tomorrow” she said.
I’ve never felt a bond that was more instantaneous. I picked her up at 930 pm and at 9 am I called them and told them to tell the waiting adopter whatever they needed to, but this dog was home. I wasn’t looking for a dog, let alone a breed I knew nothing about. But I knew she was mine. In the ten years we had her, she welcomed many many foster dogs (literally hundreds), along with a few cat and kitten fosters. She was perfect, and we made our way to get qualified and start Therapy dog work, visiting hospitals, retirement homes, and teens in crisis. She brought joy to so many.
She didn’t walk…she pranced.
She hated dirt, grass, water…anything that would diminish her beautiful, plush fur.
She never met a stranger.
I can still hear her wooo-wooo.
Thank you for reading and getting to know this gem. Part of my heart left with her.
The dog I never asked for, and didn’t know how much I needed. She passed last month at 15.5 years. She was indeed….magic.
My grandpa’s dog had passed a few years back and he swore he wouldn’t ever get or love another dog again. Long story short…. Delilah is now the love of his life, and they hold hands.
“Fine, you can bottle feed but you have to promise we are not keeping any of them… “
Meet Jasper, our first bottle baby and my husbands daschund.
My ex told me we weren’t having a a dachshund when moving in together, knowing I’d grown up with them since I was 11.
So when he couldn’t decide if he wanted to be with me or not, I decided I wasn’t going to be just an option.
1 month later I got the house we were getting together and my mum got me the best gift of my life.
My Ralph I’d say I upgraded to a better bearded bloke! What do you guys think? Single and living my best life with my best friend.
6 years ago my husband went to the shelter and called asking if he could bring this guy home. I was still pretty heartbroken after losing our last dog and wasn’t ready yet, but he insisted. Those two were best buds immediately.
My husband passed away suddenly 4 years ago, and even though he left behind his big, smelly dog, who doesn’t believe in personal space at all, I’m so thankful to have him.
Mom: “What do you think about getting a new puppy?”
Dad: “Absolutely not!”
Mom: *goes and gets pup anyways*
Dad: *comes home to said pup*
A few weeks later…
Mom: “What do you say we give him to the grandkids?”
Dad: “ABSOLUTELY NOT! He’s my little man!!”
Picture 1: My initial text to my husband.
Picture 2: My husband meeting found puppy.
Picture 3: My husband said “I’ll just go get him a harness so we can walk him” and came home with a Kong harness that I knew was not cheap because I had looked at it for my other dogs and been like “nah, too expensive.” (That’s when I knew we were keeping him.)
Picture 4: Guess who Walker Delwood (that’s what my husband named him) loves more than anyone (even though I’m the one who stopped traffic and rescued him out of the middle of the road)? Yep.
My husband. They’re BFFs. (I’m ok with it because I have two other dogs and they love me the most.)
When we got married he was adamant about not having dogs ever. I begged and begged, and he agreed that I adopt a GSD puppy from the shelter.
That was the beginning. Fast forward 31 years later, we had 40+ dogs together, currently 22 of them still with us. And hubby is the biggest sucker when it comes to our doggie babies.
I was 22 years old and working as a veterinary technician. It’s not that I didn’t want a dog, but I had no intention of getting one at this point in my life.
A breeder client who’s dogs I absolutely loved, had a litter and 2 out of 11 pups were born with cleft palates, another with a cleft lip. They tried their best with all 3 special needs babies, unfortunately the 2 cleft palates pups didn’t make it. The 3rd little runt puppy started to thrive after a few weeks of being tube fed and bottle fed. They even did surgery to try to repair her cleft lip. Unfortunately the stitches didn’t hold, so she came in to have them taken out.
At the point of this puppy’s appointment (also a vet check for the whole litter) the clinic was very busy, and the doctor asked me to take this puppy to back to remove her stitches – everyone else was busy so
I had to do this alone without someone to restrain her.
I decided to sit down and I put the little puppy on her back in my lap. The biggest, sweetest brown eyes just started up at me, her legs flopped to the side and she just laid there calm as could be while I removed several stitches from her face.
It was love at first sight, I knew in that instant I needed this particular dog in my life and she had to be mine. The breeders agreed and a couple days (what felt like an eternity) later I brought home my baby girl.
The little cleft lip runt went on to not only out grow many of her litter mates, but also lived the longest.
I lost my Penelope last year after 9.5 years. She was the best thing that ever happened to me, and she will forever be my heart dog.
Me: “Let’s go to the pound and check out some rescues just to pass the time”
Him:” No, because your gonna want to come home with a dog and we already have three…”
Me: “No,not at all. I just wanna look” [picks up puppy]
Me: “Can we get this one?”
Him: “Step away from the puppy, Stacy”
Me: “Wait! Let’s talk about this for a minute ”
Him: “Come on, we can always come back if we decide we want to get him” [turns around and heads towards the door]
Me: “But what if he’s not here when we get back… ”
Him: “Seriously right now!? Is it going to make you happy?”
And BAM! The first photo was taken of dad holding his new best friend. As you can see my husband was absolutely thrilled. Okay, not really.
Now these two are inseparable and no one wants to hang out with me.
I didn’t want ANOTHER dog. We had a new baby, and two older dogs to care for and I didn’t want another dog…
My cousin told me about a puppy that needed training help (I’m a dog trainer). The owners said their new puppy was aggressive, manic and they called her a ‘devil dog’. I suspected that this was just a normal puppy that was doing normal puppy biting. The story started to unravel – puppy was being kept in a crate, no one was playing with puppy, puppy was having food and water withheld, puppy was peeing a lot, puppy was eating her own poop. Owners had started to really neglect the puppy and…. They didn’t want her anymore.
Cut to me picking up a 3 month old puppy from the airport, a little underweight, very friendly but a little scared, and bringing her home.
To say it was busy was an understatement. This puppy needed extra help to learn good manners, potty training was a challenge and I had a 6 month old baby at the same time. I thought to myself, what have I done? I was tired, frustrated, and overwhelmed.
That is just all a fuzzy memory now. We have a beautiful, loving, silly, fluffy dog who is my daughter’s playmate and best friend.
“Don’t you think 4 dogs is too much?!”
As you can see, he clearly still feels like a 4th dog is excessive, he even calls her “Princess Cutie Pie”
Its not that I didn’t want a dog, I just wasn’t ready. I was in a fairly new relationship and my life was just beginning to settle down. Then one day at work I got the phone call…
“Jen, you know the one eared doberman puppy I told you about? She needs a home and you are the only person I know who could raise her and well. They need to get rid of her ASAP and the second option isn’t looking good”. I explained with work etc and my small flat that I wouldn’t be good enough but with a couple of hours, I was convinced.
“Okay, I’ll foster her and find her her forever home, I’m not ready for the commitment”
One hour in, the little devil bit like mad, scratched. Tore apart everything in her track. I knew “no one will be mad enough to take this dog on”.
6 months later my engagement collapsed. With my work and my money and small space, I have to find her a better home. I rang my friend crying. “Jen, you and your home are all she has ever known. You are the best place for her”.
2 months later he breaks in with a knife and attacks us. She defended me. I knew, no matter what, I had to stick by her like she did me. We worked so hard on her behaviour. I halved my hours, I learned to budget and now 2 years on almost to the day, she is still here, by my side, my best friend and the best thing to have ever happened to me.
With persistence she turned into the sweetest most loving lap dog. I’m grateful for her every single day.
“I don’t want to adopt a senior dog. She’ll break our heart one day soon.”
He even made me take her back and was livid when I ended up bringing her home a second time.. It took awhile but the laughs she created in the home replaced the feelings he had before..She broke our hearts 9/4/20
If you ask my boyfriend, he’d say he wouldn’t trade those 2 years with her. We would do it all over again. He’s gunna kill me when he sees this though.
Rest In Peace Ms.B
Husband before: “Listen, if the dog barks like crazy, sh**s in the house, or destroys things we are bringing him back”
Husband now: “Wrap him in a blanket, he’s cold!!!”
(Honestly I think he would pick Thanos over me, his wife!)
All of these stories are truly heartwarming, and the people at the end loved the dog anyway. However, it is still good to talk with your partner before you decide on getting a dog. It should always be a mutual decision. And one also has to keep in mind that dogs need to be trained so it is never a one-and-done deal. Although when they look this adorable, who can say no?
When I moved out of my mom’s into a house with my fiance, I was admittedly on probation. I was fighting an addiction and in no way did I want any more responsibilities. I have always been an avid dog lover and one day I was sad and craving puppy snuggles. I jokingly posted on Facebook that I had puppy fever, not expecting anything from it.
Then someone posted a picture of the white dog, now named Stella, on the post saying she needed a new home. I didn’t want a dog, at all, but I kept thinking about her throughout the day and finally made a whirlwind decision to bring her home with me. Then the grey dog, my
Little, my fiance wanted his own puppy and a friend for Stella and I was completely against it. He goes and finds a puppy anyways and I again fell in love. She has dwarfism and a plethora of other health issues which is WAY MORE than I wanted to take on, but she is my baby and I love her.
If you read this far, there is a very short version of my story. This picture is already four whole years old, so not wanting a dog turned into having two, four year old American Pitbull Terriers running around my house and they have saved me in more ways than
I can count. Best decision ever.
Me: I’ll always have at least one dog.
Future husband: I’m really more of a cat person, but you do you.
Me: I’m going to start fostering dogs, in addition to the three we have.
Husband: Fine, but I’m not getting involved.
Me: I have a post-op foster. She’s very sick, idk if she’ll survive. She’ll probably be with us for a couple months while we rehab her for adoption.
Husband: don’t get attached.
Me: she’s cardiac stable & cancer free and ready for adoption!
Husband: you’re not giving away my dog!
This is Josie. She’ll be 10 on Christmas Day. She started out being adopted as a puppy by my friend’s brother and his wife. They realized pretty quickly they’d made a mistake and she went to my friend.
She already had an elderly pup and couldn’t keep her so, they started trying to find a home for this girl to go to. I couldn’t bear to watch her go to just some random family so, I called my parents and asked if we could take her. My mom always said that if she got a dog, it would be a lab and I couldn’t imagine this being more perfect of a situation.
After several no’s and them basically telling me if I wanted a dog, I should move out, they agreed to let me keep her.
My dad was always a cat person and really never wanted a dog. It took him a little while to warm up to her and the idea of having a dog in the house but he eventually settled into it. Fast forward a few years later when I was finally moving out, I asked my dad what he was going to do since I was moving out and Josie would be coming with me. His exact words were, “F you, no she’s not.” So, I moved out and she stayed with my parents.Fast forward another few years and my dad was going through crippling and debilitating back pain to the point that he just became a miserable ball of depression. But the one thing that always cheered him up was all 70 pounds of Josie climbing up onto his lap for a snuggle.
My dad is a bearded 6’3, pushing 300 pounds, military man who intimidates people just by looking at them but his voice can reach an octave I never thought was possible when he calls over “Josie dawg.” She’s always by his side, especially when she gets to go in the truck to go to Tim’s (Tim Hortons) where every employee knows who she is. They hear my dad’s voice at the drive thru speaker and always end the order with, “And a Timbit for Josie?”
10 whole years with this girl and we know it won’t last forever. She’s the best thing that could have happened to our family, especially my dad, and we didn’t even know we needed it.
Sept, 2018
HW: (to deployed husband) Best friend has the kids for a little while. I’m going to go to the farm and grab some pumpkins for jack o lanterns.
(2 hours later)
HW: (sends first two pictures to husband)
Husband: That’s not a pumpkin. Just what is that?!
There was an adoption event at the farm, full of puppies and this wretched creature. A volunteer tried to talk me out of her, citing her bad eyes, bad teeth, and bad hip, even her graying hair.
Well I too have bad eyes, bad teeth, a bad hip, and graying hair. Someone had left her at the shelter as we evacuated from hurricane Florence. I don’t know how old she is, or even what she is, but I know I don’t know what I would do without her.
It had been six months since our dog of 15 years passed. Mom, brother, and I were still not over it, and were desperate for a new dog to fill the hole in our hearts. Dad was not so convinced.
On a stroke of fate, I came across Jade on a local rescue page. Mom and I filled out the application, and we got a day to meet Jade as a family. On the day of, almost as if she knew she had to convince him,
Jade ran to Dad for cuddles. First thing out of my dad’s mouth: “She’s too small.”
Flash forward a year, Jade became his “tiny princess,” and has never looked back.
When I met my partner just over 2 years ago, he’d only ever had working dogs. I had two chihuahuas and he was very sceptical and said that chihuahuas aren’t real dogs.
He said that when he was here, the sofa and bed were both dog free zones. He moved in with me and the two dogs after 4 months. Fast forward 2 years and I often question who he loves more, me or his little baby Daisy?!
Bo was a pup out of a litter of 14. I had been taking my partner to see these puppies trying to twist his arm into taking one. I always had my eye on Bo (pictured). The condition and health of the puppies started declining and after leaving there one afternoon I told him we need to take her ASAP.
She was just under 6 weeks old (very young) but I consulted my friend who is an ex vet nurse and was advised she would be in better hands with us to get the treatment she needed than to stay with the mother.
He was very reluctant but the next day we went and picked her up. 2 days later all of the puppies including mum were stolen. Bo is our miracle child and my partner thanks me all the time for pushing him to take her.
I was 16 at the time. My friends dog just had puppies! I begged my dad for one but he was adamant that we were NOT getting a dog.
Okay fine, but can you at least come and look at them?
Me, being a spoiled brat, ended up convincing him that I REALLY needed one.
“Tippy” we called her. (Her head was so big that she would tip over when she was going potty).
She was supposed to be MY dog. “Supposed to be”- being the key words.
That man loved that little puke SO much, that myself and my siblings knew that we were outta the will. Tippy was his only child now. One time, I had waited and waited for this jacket to go on sale. I asked my dad to buy it. He totally said no! Earlier that day he had gone out and bought TIPPY a brand new 40$ coat. ALSO! I do have my very own sweet German shepherd now (she’s 9) but to make things extra salty, tippy went and passed away on MY MOLLYS birthday! Ugh!
All I know is that my parents won’t be crying that much at my funeral.
All jokes aside, she truly was one of the BEST members of this family and she will be greatly missed forever and ever. love you, ya little brat.
We were driving to my grandmother’s house and we were in her neighborhood. My dad looks to the left and goes “Hey look! German Shepherd puppies for sale!” And my mom immediately goes “PSH yeah right.” And my dad had said “Yeah you’re right.”
So we arrive to my grandmothers house. We say hello to my aunt, cousin, and grandmother. Unload the car and we’re all outside talking. And my mom looks at me, and goes “Do you want to look at the puppies?” IMMEDIATELY I answered “YES”.
So when the conversation dies down, my mom goes “Okay we’ll be right back.” And my dad asks “Where you going?” I fire backed with “To look at the puppies!!” All excited and thrilled about it.
We get there and my mom goes “We’re ONLY looking.” Within minutes we fell inlove with this little baby puppy. And she goes “Well. If you can convince your dad..” So I run back and drag my dad out of the house to look at this puppy. And he goes “I don’t want any more dogs.” He saw the puppy and now we have a four year old German Shepherd.
His name is Cuda. He’s become my child. A very good boi 30/10
Me: “I’ll NEVER own a pit bull!”
However, when I met my husband he said I will never get married again or have more kids.
We have been married now 26 years and 2 more kids.
It wasn’t so much that we didn’t want a dog. We’d been talking about it since we bought a house, but with five cats and a fair amount of new credit card debt we were apprehensive to say the least.
Then my husband made the joke as we were browsing adoption postings “Hey. Wouldn’t it be funny if we got a great dane!? We’re both tiny. The cats are tiny. Then we’d have this huge dog!” We both laughed. No way in hell. Absolutely not.
Two years and two danes later……
The OG love of our lives, Spartacus our black lab, passed away 6 years ago. One year ago after trying to convince hubby it was time, that 5 years without a dog in the house was far too long to no avail–my youngest son and I snuck off on a 12 hour round trip to the mountains to get our Howard. I sent my husband his picture on the way home to which he responded–
“ThAtS fInE. ThAt Is YoUr DoG tHoUgH. YoU anD tHe kIdS can TaKe CaRe oF tHaT uGlY tHiNg. My BoY iS gOnE and I dOn’T nEeD aNoThEr OnE bLaH bLaH bLaH”.
Well. That lasted until we walked in the door. Howard has now been with us a whole year and they have watched TV in exactly this position every night since he came home. They also do LITERALLY everything else together.
Howard even has his own special captains seat in the boat to sit by my husband. Yep. He didn’t want a dog….
Boyfriend: “Absolutely no more dogs till we move to a house.”
*Year later*
Boyfriend: “No babe. I’m not giving in.”
*3 months later*
Drives 10 hours total to pick up our 3rd (but a puppy together) pup!
I am a lab person I’ve always owned labs they are the ones I am drawn to. After a few years in a long-distance relationship my fiancé moved to Colorado determined to get another Rottweiler. Absolutely not they are big they are loud and they are scary.
I know nothing about them and they intimidate me. He is persistent and I agree to a possible rescue. There are no rescues to be found.
After yet another exhausting search I stumble across a litter of puppies making their way through Colorado from Arizona. I then set up one of the shadiest meetings ever on the side of the interstate. Where I found love like I have never found love before.
Rocky be still my heart. At only five weeks old and no mom in sight and not a clear thought in my mind we brought him home. Boy was I wrong he is the smartest most well behaved best boy ever!
He has gotten me through a major stroke at 40 and we are now practicing for him to walk me down the aisle. like to say we rescued Rocky but he definitely rescued us! We’ve added is his little sister Echo during the pandemic.(she is everything I thought a Rottweiler was except scary LOL).I guess I’m a Rottweiler person now more importantly I’m a dog person.
Me: [as soon as we bought our house, started leaving dog toys and treats around the house- on the fireplace, in his car, on his pillow…]
Him: “We’re not getting a dog!”
Me: [brings one home, anyways]
Him: “We’re not getting a second dog!”
Me: [brings one home, anyways]
Him: “We are not getting a third dog!”
Me: [begged and pleaded and made offers that would cause my kids to seek therapy if they knew and I had no intention of following through with…]
Him: “Fine. I’ll go look at this dog but, if we don’t get him (he was a rescue), don’t ever ask me look at another one!”
Also Him: “Legacy and Koda got their candy coated peanuts. Holly doesn’t like them. She doesn’t like Jelly Belly’s either. She does like Nibs.”
What did you think of these stories? Did they warm up your heart like they did mine? Let us know in the comments below.
