Nineteen days ago today my life changed forever.
Posted by Jacklyn | Filed under Autumn
On November 14, 2009 I brought Autumn home from DeKalb County Animal Shelter. I searched for her through LifeLine Animal Project, an organization working with pet rescues, humane societies, and animal shelters to find no-kill solutions for Atlanta’s pet overpopulation. I’ve rescued dogs before, but this was my first time in an actual animal shelter. It was a harrowing experience- the barking, the smell, the thoughts going through my head- “Can I afford to take care of a dog? How will I know if the dog is right for me? How do I potty train the dog?”
I walked into the tiny room full of pens housing dogs of all ages. I kept walking down the aisle, looking for Autumn. Finally I found that pink and brown spotted nose pushing out of the fence wanting to sniff my clothes. She was a lot smaller than I thought she would be, but she looked happy and healthy. My boyfriend and I took her out into a fenced in area and got to know her and let her play for about an hour. Autumn was exactly what I was looking for. Sweet, curious, people loving, and playful. That was when I knew she was my dog.
Once Autumn started settling down and laying around, I realized that I’ve never had to potty train a dog before. I went and bought a crate the next day. Along with $250 of other things I thought she’d need. It was a great weekend until I realized that I had to work on Monday and I didn’t want to lock her in her crate for eight hours. Luckily, my boyfriend works for a dog friendly company about a mile from my house. He’s able to take her to work with him every day and let her play with other dogs and avoid the crate for the most part. She comes home wagging and hungry every day. She’s a spoiled rotten wickedly happy dog.
I’ve been spending a lot of time seeking out popular dog parks where I can let Autumn run freely. Buckhead doesn’t offer much room for running around unleashed, and I’ve been having trouble finding places large enough for her to do so. It’s my hope that this blog will help other Atlanta dog lovers find places their pooches will love and provide a common area to discuss all things canine.
AtlantaDogLovers.com is lovingly run by Autumn and her mommy Jacklyn Burgan.
January 11, 2010 at 7:09 am
What a wonderfully touching story, Jacklyn. I look forward to meeting you and Autumn.
Natasha
January 11, 2010 at 10:52 am
Thanks, Natasha! I am looking forward to meeting you as well!