The day I wrote this, I was fully expecting to get a dog… Posting now five days later…

Today we are getting a dog.  I’m not sure what kind of dog just yet, but definitely a dog and definitely from Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption.  I dropped by today with my adoption application filled out just to see what kind of place it was and get a feel for the animals.  (You can fill out the application online, but must print and deliver or save and email. They don’t have a submit function.)  My family – husband, daughter and my mom, who will be helping us take care of said dog – will go back with me in a couple hours to actually pick it out. 

That said, I was very impressed with Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption.  The facility is clean, staff is friendly and they clearly love animals.  It is a no-kill shelter founded in 2000 by Judy Price.  It is a relatively recent addition to Smyrna and they have done a bang-up job with the building.  The dogs are kept in these cool, communal spaces so they have plenty of interaction with each other.  And, each area has a doggy door for access to outdoors and a crate for each dog.  Most have these cool little mesh beds to lie around on when it’s time to rest. 

I love their sponsor a pet idea as well.  Even if you can’t bring an animal home, you can help provide for its care by donating to a specific animal.  They use the money for basic things like food and medical care, but also for special touches like the dog beds I mentioned. 

The also publish a wish list of in-kind donations.  I think this could be a fantastic tribute if you’ve recently lost a pet and aren’t quite ready for a new one.  I wish I’d thought of it when our pug, Miller, died.  They need everything from leashes to plastic/wire crates to chew toys. 

I should mention at this point, that they have cats too.  And you can adopt, sponsor or donate to a cat too.  For the cat people out there. 

I’ll be taking a quick break here and will pick back up once we select our new family member and bring him/her home…

TIME LAPSE

Okay, so this process is not as quick as I had hoped.  We met with several dogs last week, but none of them seemed to obviously be “our” dog.  There was a cute, grey poodle who was six months old – and whom my daughter adored – but was a little too hyper and younger than my husband and I had hoped to adopt.  We found out he got his “forever home” the very next day though!  There was a super cute little Shih Tzu but he has a habit of darting out every open door and with kids coming and going from my house, he would not be a good fit.   Then, there was a sweet schnauzer mix, but he seemed to need a slower-paced life than we live. 

There is one we would like very much to meet, but is not yet available for adoption.  I’ve been checking their website every day and calling to see if they have info on when he will be ready.  Yes, it’s come down to me cyber-stalking a dog.  

I plan to keep you guys updated on the search and will introduce you to our new dog as soon as possible!