It took two years for my family to convince me to get another dog after losing our last beloved to Cushing’s disease. The truth is that I was afraid to love again. We started the search to rescue a dog without knowing exactly what type of dog we were looking for. We wanted a dog that was not so excitable – a little low key like us but willing to try new things, a loving dog that would want to be part of the family, one that we could keep company, love on, pet, snuggle with, walk, play with, and one that would keep my oldest boy company as he home schools pretty much alone.

We happened upon Allie (named Gretel at the time) and saw her video. Yep, she was THE one!  The perfect match for us. Adorable, low key, loving, gets along with dogs and kids, and needing a home. We moved quickly to secure the match, and soon we were on our way to meet our girl! And by the way, with a house full of 3 boys and just me (the mom), it was nice to have another girl in the family. You bet she wears a pink collar!

Well, she came in very shy, not feeling the greatest, and not so much a house pet. She was found as a stray and apparently really only knew how to live outside. We live in New England so she really needs to get used to being in doors. We’ve been spending the last few months gaining her trust and training her.

The first time we thought she wanted to go out to go to the bathroom, it was raining and dark.  We opened the door thinking she’d quickly pee and come back. Nope, she bolted under a bush and stayed there. My husband had to go out and get her.

After 3 months, we finally convinced her with a cheese stick, patience, and love to sit on the couch with us. Suddenly she has decided that being part of the family isn’t so bad. Every night for the last two weeks, she has joined us in the living room, snuggled up next to one of us, getting closer and closer to being a 46 pound lap dog! We love her to pieces and as she trusts us more and more, we can expect even bigger things from her. She’s super smart and doing excellent with her training. She LOVES her walks and even getting brushed. She’s eager to please and working hard to be brave – you know the stairs and coffee table are not things you find when you are abandoned outside and those things are pretty SCARY! This girl has stolen our hearts and will be loved furever!  We are very thankful to Imminent Danger German Shepherd Rescue for saving this beautiful soul, making her an honorary Shepherd, and taking care of her.

Thanks for sharing Allie’s adoption story with us, Michelle! It sounds like you’re working hard to help her feel comfortable and like part of the family. Congratulations on being one of our DOGust sweepstakes winners!

If you would like to see your own rescue dog or cat featured here, please share your pet’s story and photo with us!