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A Day In The Life: Finding Seymour
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Posted by tomasi Wed Nov 30, -0001 00:00:00 PST
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1 response 2 comments The world is divided into cat people and dog people. Ask any of our friends and they will tell you that we are definitely dog people. It’s not that we have anything against cats, at one time we had both, but for the past thirty years we have had dogs; dachshunds, to be specific.

Dachshunds have their own personalities and even though we have occasionally considered trying another breed, we always come back to the wiener dudes.

 Last May, we had to put down Bodie, our pet of 16 years. It was a traumatic event, made worse by the fact that Rachel, our younger dog, took it so badly. At one point we took her to the vet because she was losing weight. We knew the only solution was to get another dog, but where? We didn’t want a puppy because puppies and hardwood floors aren’t a good mix and we definitely wanted a dachshund — preferably a well-behaved older dog.

Sound impossible? We thought so, that is, until I had a conversation with a worker at the S.P.C.A. After telling me that dachshunds go quickly, her next comment was, “Why don’t you go to a dachshund rescue website?” Sounded simple and I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it myself.

          Going online looking for dogs made us aware of just how many dogs and cats need homes. There were several dachshund rescue societies and each had a unique screening process for prospective owners. After filling out online forms, we waited and waited. Finally, one Friday afternoon, I saw a new posting for a dachshund named Seymour. His owners were moving and sadly had to part with their two year old pet.

The next day we drove to Visalia and met Seymour, a miniature black and tan dachshund. We absolutely loved the feisty little dog the minute we saw him. After a tearful goodbye, we drove home to introduce Seymour to Rachel.

          Putting this story on ‘fast forward’ brings us to the present. It has been three months and Seymour is now an integral part of our family. He and Rachel are inseparable and spend their days waiting for the mail carrier so that they can threaten her through the front window. Seymour came to us housebroken and well-trained, except for his compulsion to steal socks and hide them in the garden. It doesn’t matter, we still love the little varmint and as my mother-in-law said, “When I die, I’m coming back as one of your dogs!”

E-mail Joe at: jtomasi@bak.rr.com

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Comment From: dougkess

Great story, Joe. Our cats wait all day for the mail carrier so they can ignore him. Comment From: daphne

I want to say thank you. First and foremost for choosing to rescue. Second, for sharing your story about how terrific he is and, thus, providing encouragment to others who may not have previously considered an adult dog. Lastly, for others who may be interested in adopting a dog, purebred or otherwise, there's a wonderful web site dedicated to finding homes for homeless pets...Petfinder. You can go there at www.petfinder.org and search for a new best friend by sorting through all sorts of criteria. Again, thanks for sharing.