Ernie is a star!

Where do I begin? My boyfriend and I already have a rescue mutt, Ginger, so we both knew how rewarding it can be to have a loving, loyal and hilarious critter living in our house. I have always wanted a little dog to call my own, but we never had a big enough place for two dogs (we barely had room for Ginger, honestly). So, the second my boyfriend and I moved into a new house with a big back yard I got on Petfinder and started searching for a new family member. We looked and looked and looked. We filled out applications and sent photos of our yard and copies of our lease and any other thing that people asked for. We went to adoption events and shelters every weekend, but none of the dogs we met were just right for us. Don't get us wrong---it was difficult to turn away from those sweet little faces and all those puppy kisses, but we knew that it was important to find the dog that would fit best in our home and get along with Ginger. So, we waited.
We saw a picture of Ernie (originally named Riley) on the PUP website and knew we had to meet him. We were cautiously optimistic; we had done this before and knew that a picture didn't always guarantee a good match. We got up Sunday morning and drove to the Issaquah Petco (from Seattle) where we were told that Ernie, his foster mom, and an adoption facilitator would meet us. We were there early, of course, and the second we saw his scruffy little butt walk through that door we both looked at each other and KNEW he was our dog. We had a meet and greet, talked with the foster and the folks from PUP, Ginger and Ernie had a bit of a walk together and everything went great.
Ernie came home with us that afternoon and it has been the funnest month EVER in our new home. He has gained a lot of confidence and learned several new tricks. He is such a sweet little man, we cannot imagine life without him now.
Thank you PUP!
Amy, Alex, Ernie and Ginger.

Bocce & Cocoa Become Friends

One rainy, Father's Day afternoon my hubby, daughter and I drove to a PUPS event at Petco in Issaquah and we met Cocoa, an adorable and loving smooth hair Chihuahua. None of us had ever owned a Chihuahua and we had no idea how ADORABLE and LOVING they can be. We couldn't understand why Cocoa was available for adoption. He was a little underweight and has several teeth missing but we all agreed Cocoa would make a good addition to our family of two Havanese and two Tabby cats...

...But it just didn't seem fair not to say hello to all the other dogs while we were there, so we had a nice visit with Bocce, a long haired Chihuahua who was snarling and snapping at everyone. We were told Bocce had food aggression and was very barky. There was just something special about him and I fell in love with Bocce immediately. We all decided we would do our best to bring these two new dogs into our family and give them safe boundaries and love. We ADOPTED BOTH!

It's been 2 months since we brought them home and they are MORE wonderful than we thought with a few little surprises. We had no idea how intelligent Chihuahua's are and it's a pleasant surprise. Also adopting a 2 year old and a 5 year old both already potty trained, leash trained, and sit on command. That's great. Their personalities are so fun and all four dogs are playing together, sleeping together, and eating together.

Cocoa is a cuddler, he really only wants to curl up in our laps and lick. We are teaching him boundaries with licking. He enjoys his daily morning walks and keeps up with the pack. He's gaining weight and loves to eat his food to the last drop!!

Bocce is now comfortable with everyone in the house, eats peacefully with the other dogs, and tries to engage the cats in play.

We love Cocoa and Bocce and couldn't be happier. These two are such a wonderful addition to our family and have brought many laughs and giggles so far. We would do it all over again.

Thanks PUPS for all your hard work and volunteers!!
File #2 DSC03697.JPG exceeds the maximum file size. Error: 1.