Sometimes, you don’t always get what you want – you get what you need. That’s what happened when we rescued our two fur babies from the SPCA. It all happened a few years back when we lived on the coast and our pups came from the Lake Jackson SPCA. But nine years later, the pups are still with me and their story can serve as a reminder that if you want a fur baby, the first place to look is your local SPCA. Here’s a short tale of how Roy, me, and our two pups came together.
“It’s cancer,” the vet said. Treatment options for Daisy, our Pomeranian, registered through a veil of tears. I wasn’t prepared for this diagnosis. We took her home for hospice.
On the way, I realized Dammit Dog, our Yorkie, was almost 15 years old. The reality set in – both dogs could soon be crossing over the rainbow bridge. Sadness enveloped me like a cold winter fog. That was Saturday.
For some time, I had been thinking about getting a teacup Yorkie. So, I looked online – nothing. Then, I went to the SPCA of Brazoria County Facebook page – hoping. I saw a few small dogs but no Yorkies. For some reason, I messaged them, “Do you ever have any small Yorkies – preferably female?” I knew no one would answer – this was, after all, Sunday. Miraculously, an answer shot right back – one would be ready Tuesday. I also received a thumbnail picture – there was something about that little face.
Tuesday, we were at the SPCA as the doors opened. While I located the intake number for the dog we wanted to see, Roy disappeared through the doorframe. The SPCA was already full of people and animals trying to find each other. My heart sunk when the lady behind the desk told me that two people were ahead of me to see that dog and one was in the lobby with her then – the other was an internet request. I peered over the cages into the lobby to find Roy playing with a Yorkie pup with raccoon-colored fur – and the online request was … me. One look at her pleading eyes, and Roy and I knew she was the one.
This little girl and her brother had been orphaned by the 2016 Spring Brazos floods. The finder had kept the boy, but our “Coon Dog” was in desperate need of a friend. She wasn’t what I thought I had wanted – she wasn’t 100% Yorkie and was still a puppy. Instinctively, though, we knew we needed each other – friends in need. We took her home. Not long after, Daisy, our Pomeranian, passed and not long after that, so did Dammit Dog. Coon Dog felt abandoned – again. The search for a companion pup began.
For a couple of weeks, we searched newspaper ads, and online rescue sites. No small dog showed up. Then it happened – I saw a picture of a little black and white dog, who was in SPCA foster care. I knew SHE was the dog. She and her three puppies had been tied in a pillowcase and thrown in a water-filled ditch. Someone saw that and pulled them out. One puppy was already dead, and one died soon after. They saved her and one puppy. Both had had mange and were now recovered. The puppy was going to Oregon to his new home. I had to have the momma dog though. I contacted the SPCA who set up a meet and greet for the little black and white dog and Coon Dog.
We put them in the fenced yard at the SPCA, and it was love at first sight. They began to play immediately. We took the black and white dog home with us that day. Her name had been Bonnie – but at our house, she was clever, and just a little stinker – and she WAS black and white. So, she became “Skunk.”
The two dogs were nothing short of pure love. Skunk needed to be a momma dog, and Coon Dog needed a mom. They instinctively took on those roles. And they fit in with our little family. Friends in need found a forever home.
