Michelle Schenker is our guest blogger this month. Read about her adoption experience, in her own words, below!
We lost our sweet Bella in June, and we felt it more than we have with other pet losses in the past. Our dogs are our kids, and it was so quiet around the house without our food-loving lab cleaning up and following us around everywhere we went. Lily, our 11-year-old, 40-pound mixed breed, was still around and as loving as ever, but she sleeps a lot and does not care to be underfoot as much. So the house felt a little lonelier.
After a few months of mourning, we were all ready to consider bringing a new furry family member into our home. My husband Alex and I started looking online at various local animal shelters and cute faces. We knew we wanted one that was around 35-50 pounds, good with other dogs, that was housetrained and ideally around two years old.
We narrowed it down to a few that we wanted to meet and headed over to the Forsyth Humane Society’s new adoption center on Country Club Road. We walked around, talked to many dogs in their kennels, and spent some time with a few who we really felt could be strong contenders. However, none seemed quite right. As they say, you just know when it’s the right fit, and we had not made that connection yet.
So, we went back home a little discouraged and settled back into life with one dog. But, we never stopped looking at the website to see any newbies that may have arrived.
A couple of weeks after our first visit, a dog popped up on the website around 4 pm, and his name was Rudolf. He was 30 pounds and only eight months old. Well, that is a little smaller and a lot younger than we were seeking, but his sweet face spoke to both Alex and me, and his description sounded just right for us.
A couple of weeks after our first visit, a dog popped up on the website around 4 pm, and his name was Rudolf. He was 30 pounds and only eight months old. Well, that is a little smaller and a lot younger than we were seeking, but his sweet face spoke to both Alex and me, and his description sounded just right for us.
So, we were there waiting the next morning to meet him when the Forsyth Humane Society Adoption Center opened at 11 am. His crate was empty, so we anxiously asked if he had already been adopted. “No, he’s outside playing with a volunteer. We can take you out there if you’d like to meet him,” said another volunteer. “Yes, please!” we exclaimed and excitedly went out to meet him.
We saw him playing ball with the volunteer and went inside to meet him. He glanced over, made eye contact, and ran to us. He jumped up, and as soon as I sat down, snuggled up to me, giving tons of kisses. At this point Alex and I looked at each other and we could see in each other’s eyes what the other was feeling. This felt like the one! Alex threw a few balls for him and made a similar connection playing and snuggling. We walked Rudolf back inside to ask a few questions and fill out the adoption forms.
Bella and Lily were both adopted from Forsyth County Animal Control, which is now another in partnership with Forsyth Humane Society. So, we thought we were fairly familiar with the adoption process. But, we were surprised to learn that he was already neutered, fully vetted, microchipped and thus, he was ready to take home that day!
After we completed the paperwork, we took him home, renamed him Barley, and introduced him to Lily. They were instant pals, playing in the yard from the start! They still love to play as much as that first day and now also love to snuggle up and cozy up (they’ll typically squeeze into the same little bed even if there’s another one right next to it!).
We did not plan to adopt a puppy, but as it turns out, this was the best choice for us! Barley has brought so much energy, love, and vigor to all of our lives. He makes us smile and laugh every single day with his silly actions and his complete and total adoration of his Frisbee. He wrestles with his sister until she insists on a break. And his version of a break is to completely bury himself under the covers or within a pile of clothes or laundry – the first time he did that we couldn’t find him! As you may have guessed, our home is no longer the least bit quiet or lonely! We are forever grateful for the warmth and love Barley added to our home.
An unexpected benefit to Barley coming home with us was that Lily had gained a few grief pounds after the loss of Bella, and we had not even noticed until we brought that lanky puppy home. She had also started snoring in her older age, causing some concern that she may need to visit the vet to investigate a possible health issue. Lily has always been our playful and super healthy mutt, but she was beginning to show her age.
However, Barley’s non-stop play and exercise needs brought Lily back to life. She now plays a few hours a day and quickly lost those extra pounds. And, once the excess weight was gone, she also stopped snoring. What a relief that was!
To say that adopting Barley was the best thing that happened to our family in 2019 would be an understatement. He has made us so happy, and our family is more complete because of him. Welcome home Barley, and many thanks to the Forsyth Humane Society for keeping him safe long enough for us to find him!
Michelle Schenker is a local animal enthusiast who shares her love of dogs with the world by helping pet owners gain a better understanding of their beloved pup’s needs on her website www.CanineJournal.com.
I am looking at Barclay big black an white Pit Bull is he house broke I wanted a female but he is beautiful I love the size an age I am turning 69 I am a Vet live alone an looking for a buddy to keep in the house with me live in the country plenty of room to run just wanting to know is he house broke an use to living inside could u let me know .
Hello Donnie,
If you would like info on Barclay, you can click on his picture and put in an email on the form that pops up. Or, you can email adoptions@forsythhumane.org or call 336-721-1303. Barclay is pretty cute, thanks for being interested in adopting from us!