Before I got a dog, I decided it would be a good idea to spend some time with dogs. I had never owned my own dog before. We had Boss (Boston - German Shepard mix) growing up. I remember going to the Animal Rescue League of Boston, walking around the shelter and seeing all of the cages and doggies, and picking out Boss with the family. This is my first memory in fact! I was just two years old. We brought her home as a puppy and had fourteen wonderful years with her! I grew up with that dog, and loved her very much. Since her passing I always felt something missing from my life. When Pat and I got a house it seemed like the opportunity to have a dog had FINALLY arisen!
I came across a posting on craigslist one afternoon for a dog walker at a local animal shelter. I emailed them, said I was interested, and became a dog walker :) This has been a very positive experience for me, and I LOVE it! I have accomplished my goal of spending more time with different types of dogs, have learned invaluable skills caring for them (before I started I was really apprehensive about how/when to feed them.. walk them.. medicate them.. I didn't know what I was going to do!), and I get to play with some really fun dogs while doing it!
While volunteering at the animal shelter I saw a few dogs come and go, but none of them seemed to be the right dog for me. I did numerous searches on petfinder.com and eventually came across Ozzie. He seemed perfect! Smaller dog, well mannered, not a puppy and potty trained, but not an old dog either. I emailed littlelegsrescue, filled out an application, had a home visit, then went down to meet Ozzie and took him home with us! He came right over to me, and followed me around when I met him. He was a bit unsure, but trusted me right away. It didn't take him long to settle in at all :) We began twice daily walks immediately and that is now our routine :) Our walks are great bonding time. With my experience a the shelter I felt sure about raising a dog and feel I am doing him right :)
