Sharing holiday cheer with your pets

Thank you to the Times-Call for the wonderful article “Sharing holiday cheer with your pets” about the Longmont Humane Society that ran Christmas Day.
Thank you too to the 400 volunteers and 80 staff members that care for all the animals that come through the Longmont Humane Society every year.

I grew up with dogs, mostly Shetland sheepdogs.
I loved taking care of our family dogs, including going to obedience classes.
After college, I raised Rhodesian ridgebacks.
I loved the breed.
Nine years ago, I lost my last Rhodesian ridgeback to liver cancer.
I decided that my next dog would be a rescue.
I wanted to find a dog that was 2 to 3 years old, hopefully house trained, comfortable around people and other dogs.
I started watching the Longmont Humane Society’s website.
I noticed their posting about Rebecca.
Rebecca was about 2 to 3 years old, housebroken, and good with other dogs and people.
I was hooked.

I called my friend Carol and asked if she was interested in going with me to meet Rebecca.
I told Carol I was going to leave my money at home so I would just go look.
This was in January, and it was a very cold day.
There was still about 8 inches of snow on the ground.  Carol and I went to meet Rebecca.
The staff at the front desk told me that judging by my criteria, Rebecca would be a good fit.
They also let me know that Rebecca was overweight.

I was excited to meet Rebecca, now Becca.
Carol and I watched as a staff person went to get Becca.
Becca was excited to see her.
Carol and I were pleased to see how happy Becca seemed to be.
Becca was excited to see me too.
Becca was overweight though I knew that would not be a problem.
Carol watched as Becca, and I ran through the snow.
I could not stop laughing.
I felt as if I were 12 again.
Since it was freezing, Carol had been sitting in her car to stay warm.
Becca and I hopped in.
Becca sat on my lap while Carol and I discussed adoption.
I had not brought anything to pay the adoption fee with, so Carol lent me the money.
The adoption process was thorough, and I did have to fill out paperwork.
I even received a discount on supplies I would need and training.

That was nine years ago, and Becca is now 12. Becca and I did go through the obedience class at the Longmont Humane Society, and the trainer was excellent.
I still get compliments on Becca’s behavior when we are on a walk.
Once, while walking on the greenway, Becca and I even met someone that knew her from his volunteer work at the Humane Society.
He was impressed with how good and happy she looked.
Becca had fun going to dog parks and coming to work with me.  All these activities helped Becca slim down from 50 pounds to 40 pounds.

Adopting Becca helped me choose to foster dogs.
Fostering was always a joy, and Becca was a gentle nanny to the puppies I was fostering.
Becca helped my rescue, Lexi, who is now 8 years old.
Lexi was terrified of people, and the world when I first brought her home.
It was December, and I had to leave my back door open so Lexi could go in and out at will.  Thankfully, it was warm, and I had a big, fenced backyard.
It was because of Becca that Lexi started to trust me.
I will never forget the first time Lexi and Becca curled up on the couch together.
At that moment I knew I was going to adopt Lexi.
I became the best failure ever, “a foster failure.”

Adopting Becca and Lexi has been a rewarding experience.
Lexi now loves to cuddle and is my “Velcro” dog.
Becca is the first dog I adopted.
I will always adopt.
There are so many wonderful dogs that need a home.
Please “adopt, don’t shop.”

Sue Winthrop is a Longmont resident.