@StarSongWe are adopting the dog we met on a meet-and-greet a couple of days ago. (Yay!) He'll be delivered to our house tomorrow - the rescue agency has to check our house to make sure it's ok (???). We sent photos, but apparently that's not enough these days.
I get that some people abuse or don't properly care for animals, but I brought three human babies home from the hospital with less drama and far fewer forms. (For this dog, we had to sign an EIGHT page adoption agreement, plus pony up $450 for an animal that was "rescued" from a no-kill pound by this organization.)
Dog recuses go to public shelters, scoop up the most adoptable dogs and leave the old, sick, and less desirable breeds (for example, pit bulls and some other breeds are specifically excluded from the liability insurance portion of most US homeowner insurance plans).
Adopting a dog from a public shelter (supported by my taxes) costs $70 - $100. This rescue was relatively inexpensive at $450 (supposedly a "donation" but good luck getting the dog if you don't pay it.) Most rescues actually charge more than that, with some encouraging bidding wars between interested families. Wish I were kidding, but I'm not.
Rant over.
Bottom line: we're delighted to be bringing a new dog into our home. According to their vet's guesstimate, he's about 1-1/2 years old and a miniature schnauzer/poodle mix. He's a good size for us at roughly 18 lbs, is charcoal in color, and very shy. He'll undoubtedly warm up after he settles in.
Most important to us, he's small enough to be easily wrangled by seniors, isn't extremely high energy and doesn't need a great deal of exercise (like an Australian shepherd might, for instance), shows no aggression whatsoever, is fine around adults and children, gets along with other dogs, is house-broken, and doesn't shed.
I'll post a photo when we get him. DH and I haven't yet settled on a name. We'll see what fits him.
With great sadness, today I'll wash all of our previous pup's bedding, blankets, etc. I will love and miss my little buddy for the rest of my life.
Though I mourn him deeply, I do so with gratitude. How fortunate I've been to have had three dogs in this lifetime who were special above the rest. I loved each of them so much that the partings were excruciating.
Sad as it is to say goodbye to our pets, who are not just pets, but family .. it is soul-healing to bring a new member into the fold. I wish you many loving years with your new poochie. Can't wait to see photos