Who adopted who?

1. Trooper. My husband Dave helped to rescue a dog likely thrown out of a car on Interstate 78 in New Jersey. Dubbed "Trooper", the dog spent months recovering from two broken front legs, repaired through complex surgery involving plates and pins to repair the fractures. Dave and I, along with the co-rescuer, agreed to split the $3000+ bill, but after two articles in local newspapers spurred generous donations, Dave and I only paid $500. The community's unexpected generosity resulted in excess donations, which went to the no-kill shelter where Trooper convalesced.

An injured 50 pound German Shepard/Chow mix with some issues stemming from previous mistreatment, Trooper was not easy to place into a new home. He occasionally would growl and snap when scared. On the other hand, he was house-trained. An energetic 6 1/2 year old, he loved taking walks and being pet.

After two months, Trooper was adopted, but the adoption didn't stick -- the couple returned him to the shelter after two weeks. As it turned out, this was their first dog, and they had bitten off more than they could chew.

His return coincided with 10 straight days of rain. . With 40 dogs to walk and short of staff, the shelter volunteers weren't able to consistently wrap Trooper's cast with plastic before his walks.Trooper's cast repeatedly soaked through and his recovery was at risk. So, Dave and we took Trooper home for "a couple of days", where we could better look after his leg. That was in October of 2005. Our other dog residents, Angel and Zoe, grew to accept him. With love, obedience training, lots of exercise and treats, Trooper has become a wonderful and easy to love companion.

2. Shadow. Shadow joined the pack in April 2006 when she was about one year old. My husband Dave rescued the black Australian Shepard mix from Newark, where she'd been on the streets for a good part of the winter. (He used a raccoon trap -- she had been fearfully eluding would-be rescuers for weeks.) We fostered her for a week while finding her a "forever" home. A young, attractive and timid dog with big brown eyes, she was easy to place. Unfortunately for the adopters, "forever" lasted only two days. She got out and turned up on our doorstep the next morning.

We don't know how Shadow found her way back to our home, but since she picked us, we adopted her. It's a Lassie-come-home story.

Shadow was very skittish at first, but she has become very cuddly and loving with Dave and me and her circle of trusted dog walkers. And her true temperament has emerged: not content with last place in pack order, she asserts herself with our other three dogs.

Thank you Gail for sharing your love story with us. Love works miracles ...
Anyone else like to share? Just send me an e-mail plus a photo to Viveca@GetReadyforLove.com