Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Adoption update 2 for Irene

From Irene's (now Pickles) new owner:


I've been meaning to write and give you an update on Pickles (Irene) for some time now.

I adopted her from TAS in late July; since then we've become pretty much inseparable.

I changed her name since my Aunt Irene would have been a bit offended if she had found out my dog shared her name (She's actually my great-aunt and had some fuddy-duddy notions). The name Pickles just happened. About 20 minutes after we got home from the rescue I was opening a jar to snack on and my friend asked me to "pass the pickles" well Irene cocked her head and jumped off the couch and came running to her, since then the name stuck!

She's been spoiled rotten since day one. Yummy treats and my grandma's recipe for homemade dog food (in addition to her kibble) has helped put on about 3 or 4 extra pounds that she needed to thicken up. She's never in need for a comfy lap or chin scratch. My friends and family come over to visit on a rotating schedule, so that she's almost always had company (even when I'm not home to entertain). Her collection of toys is getting a bit out of hand. She has a few favorites and has to find the chosen few to pile them on the end of my bed before she can fall asleep.

She's very active and loves nothing more then playing with other dogs at the local off-leash park. She's good with fetching and will play for hours on end. She's friendly and gentle. My friend's toddler is smitten with her and she's careful not to roughhouse with him. The first time they met she circled him with a questioning look for a few minutes and then lay down to let him pat her back and rolled over for him to rub her belly.

Pickles has an insatiable need for belly rubs. I try to indulge but once my arm gets tired she's likely to get up and find someone else to pick up my slack. We have a morning ritual where once the alarm clock goes off she nuzzles me until I wake up enough to rub her tummy and chin.

Our morning walk to the park is always quick. She can't wait to get there and play with her new friends. I always feel terrible when I have to make her leave so I can get to work on time. The afternoon walk is a bit more leisurely, she knows we're not in such a rush and she'll stop and sniff everything possible.

I love reading the one bark at a time blog. I enjoy the stories and of course all the photos. I'm so thankful for the people who are responsible for bringing Pickles to me. I can't imagine what I would be like for her to still be living in Serbia; and I wish I could adopt every dog at Jelena's rescue. If there's ever anything I can get involved in I'd like to help.

I'm including some photos of Pickles. (I'm no pro, but she's a ham for the camera!)

Thanks again.

Emily

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Minor point of fact: Pickles was not from Jelena's shelter in Nis. She was one of about six puppies rescued from the kafeleria in Beograd by Zoja Jovanovic on the morning they were to be killed. The pups were rehabilitated by the Animal Rescue Center, who worked with the Canadian Residence.

ARC is now building its own center at Beograd, not only to house their own rescues, but as a way station for dogs going to Canada and other nations both from Beograd and Nis. Travelling dogs can stay there while waiting for their flight, papers, et caetera, as long as ARC has room.

Now all we need are people travelling from Srbija to Canada who are willing to take dogs....

Fred said...

Thanks for the clarification. If you have a website for ARC, send it to me and I can post it up as a link if you'd like.