October is Dog Rescue Month!

October is a great month. It is the beginning of fall, my birthday month and Breast Cancer Awareness (Get those puppies checked!). It is also Dog Rescue Month. We could all use a little positivity right now, so I am going to share pictures and info on my rescue dogs, past and present. Here is the most important thing though - I want you all to respond with your own rescue dog pics. Drop a photo and share a few lines about your favorite rescue dog so we can all smile.

Hope was one of my first rescues. Bossy and head of the house, I never met a dog so fearless. 

Angel may look like a Lab but she was meant to be an adult Chihuahua or Terrier. I had gone to the shelter and asked for a small dog. Of course I brought Hope with me. She was having none of it and turned down every dog the technician brought us. As we were leaving, a Lab puppy waddle/rolled past us. Hope jumped on her (literally) and they became fast friends. My sweet girl loved the whole world but was terrified of storms. I am reassured to know she is now rolling around in a place where there is only sunshine.

Annabelle was my con artist. She was being placed in a crate at the shelter as I walked by. The attendant said she had been returned to them twice because of her cough. As I looked at her she let out a little *cough* and looked pitiful. Of course, once we got home she never coughed again. She was also my hunter. She could corner a mouse, bug or tiny snake faster than anyone before or since!

Baby had a horrible start to her life and is still (nine years later) afraid of strangers and loud noises. A snuggle-bug, she sleeps next to me and snores like a forty-year smoker with sleep apnea.

Tiger was with me for too short a time. A ruptured diaphragmatic hernia surprised us both and I still miss him. He was my first "pocket" dog and just wanted to be in a purse or pocket all the time.

Foster came from a hoarding situation and was the funniest and grumpiest old man I ever met. He loved me but bit almost everyone else. Luckily he had no teeth so couldn't hurt anyone. When I brought him home he instantly fell in love with Baby and always kept her within sight.

I called the shelter after Tiger died and asked about a small dog. They said they had a new arrival but "she wasn't very attractive." I laughed and knew she belonged with me, sight unseen. The bossiest of the group, she tells us all when it is time to eat or sleep.

Jack and Jill came to me from a criminal case and I don't share their early photos. They are inseparable but very different. Jill has vision and memory issues but loves the whole world (including snakes and wasps). Jack is the protector of everyone, but no one more so than his sister. He is the jokester and will do anything to make me laugh.

And finally we have Blanche. At 16, someone decided they couldn't care for her anymore and dropped her at an Alabama shelter. A little medical care and a flea bath later and she is part of the pack. Her cataracts don't slow her down and she knows the layout of the house better than I do. Each morning she wakes up and does a little jiggle-dance, reminding me to appreciate the day! As I end this list, remember to post a photo of your own!