A sad tale (or tail...)

As you all know, my girls are dog-crazy. Better than being boy-crazy, right?

So, anyway, the girls love, love, love dogs and have been begging for a dog for at least a year now. I totally blame my mother because she got the most adorable Maltese puppy last year from the shelter. Buddy was 8 mos old and is probably the sweetest dog I've ever known. Since then, the girls have been smitten with Buddy and have been wanting an inside pet ever since.

Last week, I decided to swing by the shelter near our home and see what kind of animals they had there. Yes... I had the girls with me... and yes, I know that's like totally dumb of me... I get it! While we were there, we saw a cute Shih Tzu dog named "Wiggles". He was buff colored and really cute. Dirty and smelly, but cute.

So, we asked if we could see him and they allowed up to take him outside for a while and play with him. He seemed fine with us and the girls seemed to like him too, so I decided we'd adopt him. As I'm filling out the paperwork it dawns on me that we don't even have dog food at home, so I told them I'd be back to pick him up in a couple of hours.

The girls and I went to the store and picked up the necessities... dog food, crate, shampoo, leash, collar, etc. We were set!

We went back to pick up the dog and as we were leaving the shelter with dog in hand, a gal comes running out from the back saying, "Oh, I just heard from my manager and she says that this dog isn't very good with kids" and they proceeded to give me instructions on how to slowly introduce the dog to the family, etc. to ensure that it will feel welcomed etc. At this point, I've got the dog in my arms and we are walking out the door. I'm kinda feeling trapped here, but decided to take the dog home anyway.

The dog seemed to do fine at our home. He was fully potty trained and seemed to 'know' how to be an inside dog. We were all feeling pretty good about it. Fast forward two hours after his arrival... Elisan bent over to pet the dog (as it was resting) and the dog raised up and bit Elisan on the face.


Of course, it scared the pee out of Elisan, me and the dog. We pretty much decided after that, that we would bring the dog back to the shelter because it proved to us that it was not good with kids. We put the dog in the laundry room and went to bed.

The next day, the dog was fine. It was pleasant to be around and Elisan even warmed up to him again. I was relieved she wasn't just petrified of the dog (or really any dogs, after getting bit by one!) After several hours of having the dog around, Elisan decided she wanted to give the dog a second chance.

I scheduled a vet visit for that afternoon. At the vet's office, she told us that the dog was not in good health and that it would be an "investment" to get the dog healthy again. In addition, with the dog's age, factored in with his inability to get along with children... she suggested we bring the dog back to the shelter.

However, because the dog's history was unknown, as to whether or not he had been rabies treated... the dog would have to be quarantined for 10 days at the Animal Control Shelter because it bit Elisan! AHHHHH.....seriously?

So, that's the tale of our stint with adopting/rescuing a shelter dog. I'm not proud of ANY of this. I wish I had stood up right away and had not taken the dog when we were told he wasn't kid-friendly. Had I been told that from the get-go, we would not have even adopted him. I feel bad for the dog too, because it wasn't his fault he reacted the only way he knew how. I totally blame the shelter for this. (And, they didn't even refund our money! Shisters!)

Next time, we're going to buy a puppy from a reputable dog breeder. Scoff if you must... but we I gotta do what's best for my girls!