We often like to stay in contact with the familes that have adopted animals from us. We like to think that adopting from us includes building a relationship that will continue long after you and your family leave our shelter. That way, if there were ever any problems, adopters can feel comfortable with talking to us before it spirals to a point where it jeopardizes the bond you share with your pet. We would then of course do what we could to help fix the problem.
What’s best about this relationship is that more often than not we find that there are no problems at all and in fact that the adoption has changed the human's life and much as it has the animal’s.
Below is a letter we received as part of a follow up to an adoption that we wanted to share with you all. To begin, you should know that George spent 8 months at our Georgia Ave shelter waiting for a family, and as you can see, it was well worth the wait.
George is doing well, and he's making lots of friends in the neighborhood. His best friends are a little pug named Puddles who lives up the street (we love to go into the yard at Puddles' house and sniff the bushes and lay in the grass) and a Chihuahua next door named Blanca who likes to nip at George's feet and cuddle with George on the couch. This morning we met a new friend named Sundance, and hopefully I will be dog-sitting for Sundance during the day so George, Sundance, and I will have lots of opportunities to go on walks and play in the park down the street.
Most days George has his routine, and he helps me with mine. He has learned not to get out of bed until I get up and make coffee, but as soon as the grinder goes off it's time to go outside for a morning walk or a run. When we get back I get coffee and it's breakfast time for George. His favorite meal is rice, peas, and beef. We've found that his breath and his coat do best with these foods (though he is also a big fan of eggs and also of cottage cheese with his rice and peas... If you've ever seen a pit-bull with cottage cheese on his chin, it's quite priceless)! Then it's time for him to lounge in the sun on the couch for the morning while I get work done. We go out for playtime and another trot around the neighborhood around lunchtime, and then George usually finds a toy to play with for the afternoon.
Afternoons are also treat time, and he gets a rawhide or a greenie to chomp on mid-afternoon. George definitely knows the words "snack" and "cookie" and "treat"! Late afternoon it's another walk and sometimes we stop by the park to romp around off-leash and play in the grass or in the puddles. He takes a nap again on the couch while I go out on my bike in the evenings, and when I get home it's a quick trot around the block and then it's dinner time! More rice, peas, and beef! Sometimes after dinner he gets one of his favorite cookies that Nana made (my mom, she loves her granddog!). She left us with a whole bunch of bone-shaped cookies after her last visit. And rumor has it that the Easter Bunny is going to bring us a rice cooker for Easter! After dinner and one last trot outside, we all curl up to go to sleep.
Sometimes George lets out a big sigh when I bring work to bed, but he's a pretty good sport, and he can sleep even with the lights on.
That said, he has his ways of reminding me to put down the computer or the blackberry - and puts his big ol' head between me and the keyboard!
George makes me laugh and smile every day.
I can't imagine life without him, nor would I want to.
Smiles and Grins (and Wags!)
Shauna and George
From WHS - George, we couldn't be happier for you!
There are always many dogs (and cats) available at either of our locations that could change your life the way george changed Shauna's. Please visit our adoption centers on 1201 New York Ave NE or 7315 Georgia Ave NW, you'll find the perfect fit for your family, that we are sure!
Being a self-professed non-lover of dogs, I was somewhat intimidated when Shauna said she had fallen in love with George and was bringing him home. Since then I, too, have been smitten and rearranged my schedule several times to travel from Maine to D.C. to dog-sit and bring George my now-famous dog cookies. He and I have become fast friends, strolling the neighborhood, discovering the dog parks, and snuggling on the couch with a good book. I have met several other adoptees through our adventures at the dog park, and have heard so many stories with happy endings about the shelters in the District. I smile just thinking about my next trip south...
Posted by: Beth Sweet (George's "nana") | April 22, 2011 at 12:27 PM