West Vir-Ginny!

We have always been cat people. I think it’s because cats are low maintenance and don’t smell bad. We like critters around the house, but it’s gotta be easy…or so we thought.

We were watching the evening news (mistake 1) the other night and they did a bit on the Kanawha/Charleston Humane Association animal shelter.  Since it is Spring, they have apparently had a huge influx of animals.  I may be making this number up, but I think the news said they had over 200 dogs when it aired.  Anyhow, I am a softie (and not just in the head) so I thought it might be interesting to go see what the shelter was all about (mistake 2).  I had no intention of getting any pets…I am a cat person after all and we already have 2 inside cats (and 4 outside strays have us).

Two weekends ago, Emily had an all-day meeting at her school so I was solo with the kids.  For some unknown reason, I decided that not only did I need to see what the shelter was all about, but also that the kids might enjoy seeing some dogs…sort of like a trip to the zoo (mistake 3)!

Being a softie and also having Abigail with me, we “oohhhh-ed” and “awwwww-ed” and it was then that it struck me…”hey, we need a dog!” (mistake 4)  The only trick was, I had to convince Isaac and Emily, neither of whom like dogs…or so they thought.  After much debate and searching, we happened upon “Lucy”.  Lucy is a mixed puppy around 5-6 months old.  I finally broke through Emily’s cold hard heart and convinced her we needed to rescue poor Lucy from her certain fate.

Again, after more debate and many “deals”, I was given clearance to adopt the dog…but we had to change her name.  Emily didn’t like that someone else had named her new baby (ahhh…see, she’s caving in) so we pondered and consulted the seers and came up with the name “Ginny” as in “West Virginny”.

Ginny came home after being fixed and otherwise poked and prodded on Monday.  She promptly christened my car and has apparently claimed us.  I think all of those “mistakes” have turned out pretty well.  Ginny is so sweet and will eventually be house trained…

Anyone else have “pound dogs”?

16 thoughts on “West Vir-Ginny!

  1. Congratulations.
    I recognized every step of your journey… the four step journey to “what have I done?”
    Ohoh! But she is so cute! And I love her name… makes me think of her ginger-Ginny coat too.
    How are the cats taking this?
    Our dog, Mitzi, was a rescue. Like Emily, I wanted to change her name, but they said she was too old to get used to anything like that. Still, no regrets.

  2. Yes sir! This time last year we brought home Dixie from the same shelter. We were really lucky with her because someone began housetraining her before we brought her home. Are you planning to crate train? We are glad we did.

  3. I also am a cat person. I’ll reserve judgement until our next visit in a couple weeks. She really looks cute and loving. Good luck.

  4. Yes, mistake #1 stopping at the pound – that’s the beginning of the end.

    We stopped to look and ended up bringing home “The Stinky Chiots”. She’s wonderful and we love her, best dog ever (and it’s not just us, at the mere mention of her name anyone that’s met her says, “OH, Lucy’s such a GREAT dog”).

    The only way to get a pet is from a rescue – with so many unwanted pets why people buy them at pet stores is beyond me (not to mention they’re so much cheaper at the pound). Lucy was FREE, we only had to pay $8 for her dog tag.
    .-= Chiot’s Run´s last blog ..Is That Darth Vader in the Garden? =-.

  5. We don’t have any pets right now. Lily wants one badly. One of the neighbors offered a guinea pig which just looks like a rodent to me (no offense to guinea pig lovers). Then she asks when can she have a rabbit,..dog..,…cat…on and on. I told her she was getting a brother first and we’ll see after that.

  6. Well, it turns out that Ginny is a very sick little puppy. She was diagnosed with parvovirus today and had to be hospitalized. Evidently they have a recurring problem with parvovirus at the Kanawha Charleston Humane Society but do not advertise that fact. I think they should at least inform potential families that there has been an outbreak so they can have the animal tested before taking it home. I love my puppy but am very disappointed in the Humane Society.

  7. Oh she is lovely! We are leaving Friday to DRIVE to Minnesota to pick up a puppy. Enjoy her – soon you’ll wonder what you did without her
    kris

  8. Oh dear. What a sad turn of events.
    Can it be treated? I hope so. It’s terrible of the shelter to mess with good people that way. For Ginny’s sake she is blessed to have you, and hopefully this will all turn out for the best.

  9. Ginny came home and is recovering well. She is still on “soft” food and has an upset stomach, but the vet expects her to make a full recovery! Now we (meaning Warren) need to get started on that fence!

  10. Beautiful dog, I hope she perks up quickly. I had an english setter from the pound- she was very sweet and lived for 16+ years. Best of luck with Ginny 🙂
    .-= Beau´s last blog ..Misty Morning =-.

  11. Having read a little bit about Ginny’s parvo on Facebook, I just wanted to stop by “in person” and thank you for rescuing a dog from the Humane Society shelter instead of going to a pet store. Just one more reason to admire your family!

    I’m hopeful that Ginny recovers quickly!

    Blessings,
    Lacy
    .-= RazorFamilyFarms.com´s last blog ..Good Directions and Turnip Greens =-.

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