In March of 2009, I had the opportunity to bring Tucker into my life, and it has been a crazy few years since. I was a freshman in college, and I was visiting my now ex-boyfriend in Georgia. For some crazy reason (probably because I'm obsessed with animals), we decided to visit the local animal shelter. It is a no-kill facility located in Suwanee, GA called Georgia SPCA. If you ever have the chance to look them up, donate anything, or just stop by for a visit, please do. It's an incredible place that saves the lives of countless animals each year. So we walk in, and in the back kennels, there is a dog that didn't bark, didn't stand up, didn't do anything except look at us with pitiful eyes. My dad was on a fishing trip in Florida, and so I called mom with the plea of, "I found the most perfect dog, Mom! We have to adopt him!" Our beloved Tena had passed away a few years prior, and she had been the love of my life since I was 7 years old. Mom, of course being the more rational one, said no. So after a few more minutes of pleading, she did what most parents do. "If you ask your dad and he says yes, then okay." Well, of course dad wouldn't say yes if mom didn't say yes, and I knew that. However, luck was on my side. When I called Dad, he was literally out on the ocean fishing. I told him it was important, and so he gave me 30 seconds to explain. "I found a dog at a humane society, and he's perfect, and mom says if you say yes we can adopt him." Okay, so I fudged a little bit...it happens. So dad, not bothering to check with mom because of his location, said, "Well, I guess if your mom said yes, then it's okay." Which automatically related in my mind to," Mom! Dad said yes! I'm adopting him!" Funny part of the story? Mom and Dad didn't have the conversation about how they technically didn't agree until about a year and a half later. That was a fun day.
So, it has been almost 4 wonderful years with Mister Tucker. He went from a shy, timid terrier mix to a silly, loving, follow you around everywhere knucklehead.
Check out the before and after.
BEFORE
AFTER
He's incredible, and an absolutely essential part of our family. He goes to work with Dad constantly, riding up front in the truck with his head out the window. Everyone who meets him wants to take him home with them. He's still pretty quiet, and he sleeps with his body up against something no matter what. Whether it's a wall or the couch, he feels more secure that way.
The next dog that came into our lives and our family is Pete. Oh, Pete. During my sophomore year of college, I found a jack russell terrier wandering around our campus. Given that almost 90% of our campus is surrounded by big roads, this was interesting. Fast forward a few days. We had him checked for a microchip. There wasn't one. No vet knew him, and neither did the groomers at PetSmart or Petco. My friend Ashley and I made posters to hang around town, but after a few days, we had no idea what else to do. Since my parents already were taking care of Tucker while I was in school, plus our other family dog Vanna, the only solution was my grandma...79 year old Gram. Don't let the age fool you. This woman is going to out-live us all. She works 5 days a week and runs on the treadmill for 30 minutes a day. She's THAT kind of grandma. Well, Gram grudgingly accepted responsibility of Pete until we found his owners (something Ashley and I were fairly certain couldn't happen). Fast forward another 2 years. After spending some time with Pete and our local vet, we determined that he was probably dropped off at our school because of his deteriorating health. Turns out he had cataracts, tumors, a blood sugar problem, and arthritis. That being said, he was the best dog my grandma ever had. He followed her around, almost too much considering the fact that she used to trip over him all the time. Unfortunately, Pete passed away after almost three years with our family. He was a great little dog and we miss him constantly.
Here is Pete being chased by Tucker in the snow
What a goober.
The last part of our furry family is also our newest addition. Yesterday, after weeks of convincing and annoying the boy about how wonderful he was, I signed the adoption papers on Chase. An owner surrender to the Catawba Valley Humane Society, Chase was incredibly depressed when we first arrived at the shelter. I saw him the afternoon that he arrived, and visited him twice a week after that. His improvement was absolutely remarkable, and I finally convinced Brian to take a chance on him. Here is a picture of him the week before his adoption.
Chase
He gives good kisses
Now that you've officially met the members behind my family, I'll try and throw something together about my human family, too.
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