Home for the Holidays

The other day I was driving along 355 in Rockville when I noticed a man wearing a plywood sandwich board that read in stenciled letters the word "PUPPIES". I looked to see what pet store he was advertising for, but didn't see any. Either it was a small store that I simply could not see from the road or it was just a couple of people selling puppies for Christmas out of their van. I don't know which, but it just made me sad...sad for all the homeless dogs who won't get adopted because of the big business of buying and selling holiday puppies, and sad for those holiday puppies too, a lot of them spur of the moment, surprise gift puppies, who stand a good chance of ending up homeless themselves. It made me think of the Christmas seasons that we have spent with our foster dogs, last year with Sara and Simon and this year with Bogey, and all the other dogs that we have helped send home for the holidays, all throughout the year. So, I wanted to say Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays, no matter which one you celebrate) to all of our adopters and thank you.

Daphne, adopted September 2005

Bandit, adopted July 2005

Simon, adopted February 2005

Sara, adopted January 2005

Bridget, adopted November 2004

Kayla, adopted August 2004

Kadie, adopted July 2004

Maxx, adopted April 2004

Jack, adopted March 2004

Valentino, adopted March 2004

Accepting one of these once unwanted, abandoned, bad, stray, lost, homeless "PUPPIES" into your hearts and homes, giving them a second chance at life, embodies the spirit of Christmas no matter what time of year you found them and they their forever home. They are home for the holidays now, not sitting under the tree with a big red bow on their collar, but home nonetheless.
And it is at this time of year, as I get ready to fill the stockings of our two adopted dogs and the one hung this year for Bogey, that I truly appreciate the importance of what we do in rescue, as fosters, shelter workers, and adoptive families. So, let us all celebrate our successes and reflect upon the good that we accomplish, even as we ready our homes and shelters in another few months for so many of the Christmas puppies who will need us.