Sunday, March 15, 2009

$1500.00 Rescue Dog

Rusty's Gotcha Day 3-15-07

Today is Rusty's 2 year Gotcha Day. His story is a little unusual for the average puppy that was abandoned at the local shelter along with his mother. He was lucky to be picked up by Pet Samaritans and fostered by a nice family until he was adopted.

We came into the picture because I wanted to adopt a rescue dog. I had been looking at Pet Finders.com for quite some time for just the right one. I found him when I saw the quirky picture of Rusty. I called the number and was surprised he was still available. I had heard that small puppies were adopted right away but soon learned why he was still looking for a home. He had been diagnosed with a knee issue that affected both his hind legs. His adoption would be contingent on paying for his adoption fees along with the estimated $1500.00 surgery to correct his problem. I hung up the phone thinking there was no way I could pay that amount of money for a mixed breed, rescue dog.

His picture haunted me and I couldn't stop thinking about him. Great Guy agreed to at least go meet him. You can guess the rest, love at first sight, papers signed and the card to the Orthopedic Vet we promised to take him to in hand.Rusty's One Month Gotcha Day

We got him home and he ran and played just like any other puppy. But we promised, so we took him to the Vet. The Dr. looked him over, poked, prodded and finally proclaimed, "I have tried very hard to find something wrong with this puppy, but can't." I was overjoyed! On the drive home I couldn't help but think of all the people that had inquired about Rusty but had overlooked him because of the original diagnoses. We had even hesitated. But 2 years later and a very loved part of our family, I like to believe he was just meant to be ours.

Rusty's 2 year Gotcha Day

3 comments:

Snowbrush said...

He looks like a dog with a strong will and a lot of character.

KC said...

Snowbrush...you have him figured out. He is also a blast to have around.

Wunx~ said...

I'll bet Ruby would argue with that. I happen to know she thinks he's obnoxious.