Dying Woman Desperate to Find a Home for Her Beloved Dog

Family photo, contributed to National Dog News Examiner

I first saw this article on Facebook along with a plea to share the information to help this woman find her sweet Pittie mix, Sherlock, a new, loving home. Anyone who loves their pets like family can understand her anguish at the idea of her dog being homeless after she is forced into hospice care or dies.

The article, Dying Woman Desperate to Find a Home for Her Beloved Dog, appears on examiner.com and includes the following contact information for anyone who might be able adopt Sherlock or help find him a home in some other way:

Sherlock is in Fort Collins, Colorado, is fully vetted, and heartworm negative. Contact Jess for more information at: rubyphoenix36@yahoo.com or phone 970-775-0797.

Sherlock's human guardian, Pat, has end-stage cancer and will soon be going into hospice. "Sherlock has basic obedience training and is housebroken. He loves people but has never been around young children. He loves long walks and cuddling on the couch. He is such a sweetheart. Sherlock would do best in a home with no other pets. A well mannered, sweetheart of a boy who can't comprehend that soon his human will be gone."

Can you help this woman fulfill her dying wish?  Please share this far and wide so that Sherlock can find a new forever home and loving family!
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Update from the Saving Sherlock Facebook page:  "We found a wonderful local family for Sherlock, who we spoke with several times, we did reference checks and had scheduled a home visit for yesterday in the evening. We told Pat about this family several days ago and she was very excited to meet with them, especially since they want her to continue to be a part of Sherlocks life as long as she can. Pat was not feeling well yesterday and began having some difficulty with the thought of placing Sherlock. This is completely understandable and we all feel for her. The adoptive family is wonderful and very understanding of her situation. They said to me this morning "we don't want Pat to look at it like she is losing Sherlock, we want her to look at it like she is gaining a family". ... April 22, 2014

Thinking About Adopting a Pit Bull?

Ruby

Despite having the qualities that we most love in dogs ... loyalty, sweetness, affection, and a generally happy disposition ... Pit Bull Terriers and their cousins (I hate the term "bully breed") are often overlooked when it comes to adding a new member to the family.  And while they are gentle and loving in nature, they are too often portrayed as being viciously unpredictable and dangerous.

If you're thinking about adopting a Pit Bull or similar breed, it's so very important that you educate yourself about all aspects and characteristics of these dogs.  Despite their sweet, friendly nature, they are probably not a good choice for many people, especially first-time dog guardians.  This is true for any dog, however; too many dogs end up in shelters because they were "so cute as puppies."  But once they become adults, they're not as cute and may not fit in well with your lifestyle.

I'm not an expert on Pitties, aka Pibbles, so am not writing this from that perspective.  There are lots of great sources online, if you want to learn more about them.  But I do want to introduce you to one very special Pibble ... Ruby! ...

My rescue group pulled this sweet girl from our local pound after her human disowned her.  She had obviously been well cared for and loved, and was well socialized.  But because of her breed, it's been a challenge finding her a new, loving home.

To keep her balanced, socialized and as happy as possible while waiting for her new home, I've been taking her out of the boarding facility where she's staying temporarily, as often as possible. 

During our latest outing, we stopped off for some ice cream.  Ruby was very polite and loved her special treat ...

"Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos."
                ~Don Kardong

Despite her excitement over the ice cream, Ruby continued to be the perfect angel.  When I pulled the cone away from her, she sat patiently waiting to see if she'd get another few licks. 

And of course, I indulged her .....
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Next on the agenda, I wanted to let Ruby run, sniff and explore.  She isn't getting enough exercise at the boarding facility ... she's only about one year old and, like all Pitties, she's a very strong, athletic dog.  So I took her to a large, fenced yard where she got to just be a dog for a while .....

Ruby is a bit taller than the average female Pittie and weighs right around 50 pounds.  Her brindle coat is very striking. 

.... She's beautiful, isn't she?



Despite being cooped up most of her days at the boarding facility, rather than explore the yard on her own, Ruby preferred to stay by my side for most of her visit.

It's pretty obvious that her heart's desire is simply to have a human to love.  Even though she doesn't see me every day, she bonded with me very quickly.  Whenever I got up to walk around the yard, Ruby walked right by my side.  She wandered and sniffed a bit, but always looked to see where I was and never strayed more than a few yards away. 



You can see from her bald belly, that Ruby was spayed recently.  She'd had all vaccinations, but hasn't been microchipped yet.  Other than that, this girl is R.E.A.D.Y. to love and be loved!


I got LOTS of Pibble kisses .....

Fortunately, Ruby has good doggie breath.  :-)

It was a really nice Spring day.  Ruby and I relaxed and enjoyed the view and each other's company ....

"Dogs are a link to paradise ... to sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring.  It was peace."  

~Milan Kundera, author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being                                                    


As we sat and relaxed, we got a little visitor.

Ruby rushed to investigate ......

Oops! ...... killed by curiosity.

Nope.  Still not moving.

Apparently, spider-killing services are an added bonus.  Included free with your adoption fee!

Update:  Ruby is no longer available for adoption, but I hope you enjoyed this post.

Please visit my rescue's Facebook page.  We're the Circle of Life Animal Rescue Society (COLARS) ... COLARS on Facebook  Please Don't Shop!  ADOPT instead!

And please don't litter ... S.N.Y.F.F. instead!  (Spay/Neuter Your Furry Friends)