I know you guys don't know me, but I live very rural. There was this stray dog dumped here. I think I saw it the day it was dumped and was on my way to the office. I stopped and tried to call it in to me. It ran like I had fired a shot at it. Well about two weeks later,my daughter comes home with this same dog. It won't leave her side. My daughter is 11. Even when she went into the shower, the dog just sat by the door and waited. I'm not getting rid of this dog. It appears to be about 4 or 5 years in age. My husand and I thought it ran off just a day after it being in our house, but it turns out it just ran down to the bus stop and then came back home. That was in the morning and it was apparently looking for my daughter. It just hung around the yard all day until she came home. I just had to relate this story. I'm a broker taking it hard in Colorado. We already have one dog we rescued.

I would have loved to have a dog when I was a kid, let alone one that would never leave my side. This one has found what I hope is a great home. It has been abused. It jumps at every noise in our house. You have to wonder happened to this poor animal.

Congratulations on the newest member of your family! It speaks volumes of you that you have a big heart and didn't call animal control. Get the dog spayed/neutered. I would imagine this dog will be better than any security system you could ever buy, its devotion to your daughter is fantastic. But get it to the vet for shots and to get it fixed.

Great Job giving that lucky dog a new home! Sorry about the market slowing for you, remain positiev and use the spare time to get more training and increase your online presence! With a heart of gold like yours, success will come!

Those stray abused dogs have a way of latching on to a family and inviting themselves in. One of those cases where the dog selected its owner. I'm glad to hear you took him in.

I rescued a "rescue" yesterday. She got a bath last night and the water turned into straight urine. She got to go to the doctor today and get a cortisone shot and antibiotics for her skin condition created by fleas and chewing at herself. She got $120 worth of stuff at Petsmart. She acted as if she had never seen a yard with grass in it before last night.

The "rescue" was in a woman's home and there were about 20-25 other dogs there. Just terrible. I know she thinks she is helping these animals, but there is no way to handle that many animals in a small 3 bedroom house.

My point is, I guess, that if you can make the difference in one dogs life, it is well worth it. I am so glad I got her out of there and she is sleeping sweetly on the couch right now! And she is glued to me as if I had been there all 8 of her years. It's a great thing to help an animal.

Thank you for taking the doggie in.

There is a special place in hell reserved for those who abuse and abandon animals.

When doing an occupancy check several months ago I was met by a large St. Bernard; some are better tempered than others so I didn't force the issue of getting to the door to offer Cash for Keys.

After it went vacant I found the dog out behind the barn; they had apparently put it down themselves. The Property Preservation crew (people I know) took care of burying him on site. Too bad they didn't take him to the SPCA where he could have been adopted.

Amen!

Glad you could take in that dog! All 4 of ours are rescued animals. We've had them all since they were pups, and now they're getting pretty old -- 18 yrs. 4 months; 15-1/2 yrs.; 12 yrs.; and almost 10-1/2 yrs. They are quite the loyal, lovable family members!

All I can say is 'lucky dogs'. They are loving and great companions. Have you ever noticed the personalities? They talk and have feelings too.

God bless you for taking in the poor dog. :D

I live in a rural part of Colorado also, but somewhat near a college town. The worst is to see a dog standing by the side of the road looking at every car that passes hoping it is their master returning to get them. Every May or so around here dogs get dropped off in the country by students at the University that think it's cool to get a puppy during the school year, but don't know what to do with it when school gets out. I'm not sure how a person can do that to a dog. You know what that person would to to a supposedly human friend in need in a second? Turn their back and leave.

Late to chime in Mr. Foreclosure, as liberal as I can appear to be, I hope those filthy scumbags are living under a bridge right now. To shoot your dog? WTF were they thinking? What are any of these idiots thinking? The reason I've got the Pug is because it's no longer a puppy. While still a cute dog it isn't as cute as when it was a puppy. The doggie needs to be walked and talked to and loved. It also wasn't housebroken. We're still not 100% on that score but we're at 90 to 95%. It would have been easier earlier in life but he's trying. Don't get me started on cats. If they can't figure out how to keep it together for their animals, how do you think they keep it together for their children?

Okay here's an update on the dog I took in. Her name is Jazmine. Jazzy for short. She still freaks when our woodstove cracks and pops...probably thinks it's gunfire. Jazzy is still attached to my daughter. Sierra is 11. That's my daughter. She is now learning alot about taking care of an abused animal. Alot about patience and understanding. It's a great experience for both. Jazzy sleeps in Sierra's room and wouldn't have it any other way. She will now come in the house on her own without having to be chased down and led in on a leash. Apparently this dog was never in a house before and that saddens me. Our Colorado winters can be harsh and cold and I don't leave any of my animals outside except for the chickens and I think that's a given. They have winter protection. Vet check came back OK. I'm really glad she found us, and we found her. She use to constantly keep her tail between her legs and up against her belly and now that tail is up and wagging most of the time. She still gets upset and paces through the house. We can't figure that out and what tiggers it. Any advice??? I'll try to get back to the forum more often. Have been busy. You know raising an 11 year old girl and taking care of a dog that needs help. Oh yes and this real estate business.

BTW we aren't new to raising animals that have been abused. Each case is new. We've had a Collie, 2 Dobermans and Chaco. I adopted Chaco from a shelter five years ago, and he's a great dog. He still has some issues, but has become a wonderful family dog, and no one comes to our house without Chaco letting use know. The religious people that peddle door to door have given up on us. We also rescued a kitten on a cold, rainy October Colorado night over a year ago, and the Queen B@@@@ still lives with us and our other cats. This kitten, Ginger, wouldn't have made it through the night if we hadn't found her. Thanks to the hubby for that. She was so hungry that she couldn't even hold her backend up and was trying to drag her back legs. I stayed up until 3 am feeding her. She's great now, but thinks the world is here to serve her. She's also the only cat we've had that is my husband's cat.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL Debbie

By the way...I will only have a pet if it gets spayed or neutered. It's the only way to go. We had a great Rottie that we paid good money for and his personality was great. My husband wanted to breed him, but I said no. There are too many animals out there that need homes and I won't add to that. Pure blooded or not. Our Rottie turned out great to the end, but I'm glad we didn't add to the pet population. I also volunteer with our local NO KILL humane society chapter.

They are very grass roots so to speak and foster most of the animals, but it works out ok. We hold frequent adoptions and usually adopt out a lot of animals.