09 August 2012

Ozzie

Meet Ozzie.  He's an approximately 11-month-old American English Coonhound.  You may be familiar with the breed from the popular {and adorably strange} website Maddie On Things.


Ozzie and his brother were found almost starved to death, covered in fleas and ticks, when they were only 6 months old.  They had been eating rocks to survive.  The most likely scenario is that they were backyard-bred by a hunter and when the pups proved to be gun-shy, they were dumped.  Apparently this happens quite commonly in the area.


Here is the part where I implore you to consider a rescue dog if you are thinking of getting a dog.  Even if you have your heart set on a purebred, there are hundreds of purebreds in shelters.  Ozzie is a purebred.  There are even rescue groups dedicated to specific breeds.


Ozzie's brother was adopted not too long after they arrived at the shelter, but Ozzie was there for nearly 4 months.  He was out of time and through the power of social media, he found us.  We have been wanting to adopt a second dog for over a year now, but various circumstances prevented us from doing so.  Once we knew we were moving to a new place with a fenced-in yard, we knew it was time.  And there was Ozzie.

We are taking things a day at a time.  He's learning us and we're learning him.  Our Jakey-boy has been very patient with a rambunctious, curious younger fellow.  Ozzie is very underweight, so we're working with our vet to get him healthy and strong.  He's learning how to be a good boy on the leash so that he can go on nature trail walks.  Mainly, we are showering him with love and food and a comfy, cozy place to sleep.  Which is something that every dog deserves.


If you have the space in your heart, your home, and your wallet, please, please, please go the rescue route.  You get to save two lives: the dog you bring into your home and the dog who can stay in the space your dog opened up at the shelter.  And you get a lifetime of love and gratitude from a sweet puppy boy like our Ozzie.

9 comments:

Jennifer @ Belclaire House said...

I love this! We adopted our lab and she's the most wonderful dog in the world. It's so true that you can find almost any breed in a shelter. It's so heartbreaking to think that people can just dump these sweet little souls without any thought. Great post!

Summer is a Verb said...

Makes me want to cry. But, his turn of fortune makes me ecstatic. Loooove a coon hound. Love all Hounds! :)

Baltimore Prep said...

What a sad story, but what a happy ending! I know he will be happy in his new home. My bff has a coon hound, they are so sweet. Love his Ravens collar!

Sarah Brooke said...

This also makes me want to cry. Ozzie is adorable and good for you! Also love the Ravens collar!

Virginia Belle said...

Congrats on you new doggie addition! I admire anyone who goes the rescue route, it just makes sense. We're starting to move towards getting our first dog and you better believe I will be getting it through a local rescue! Thanks for this post!

living well said...

Ahhh, my husband and I just got a coonhound named Jazz about 6 months ago! I absolutely love her. They are the best dogs and so silly and adorable. I've learned more and more about how badly they are treated in certain areas - it's so heartbreaking, but it makes me so happy to see more getting adopted! Congratulations!!

Anonymous said...

This is my all time favorite post of yours thus far! It brought a tear to my eye and definitely tugged on my heart strings! I love, love, love that you rescued a pup! My husband and I adopted a rescue a few years ago and it was by far the best thing we have every done! I would highly recommend a rescue over supporting crazy breeders! Not all are crazy, but the ones that are seem to get the most business!

Miss Sweet Tea said...

How sweet! It makes me sick to think of what horrible things humans do to animals. I'm so happy that Ozzie has a safe place to call home now!

Maggie said...

Just catching up on this post... Yay for Ozzie! What a perfect pup. Rescuing is absolutely, 100% the way to go. Happy for you and your growing furry family!