Tail Wagging Tuesday: Special Pup Feature- Josie

This week's Tail Wagging Tuesday special feature pup belongs to one of my sweet readers.  Adriane wrote me and said she would like to share her little Josie's story.  I was so excited to read the interview, and now I'm super excited to share it with you guys. :)  Here's what Adriane has to say...

What kind of dog is Josie?  How old is she? 

     I’ve estimated Josie to be 10 months old from when she got her big girl teeth a couple months back. So her birthday will be celebrated with mine in November! We are still very stumped about what Josie actually is! I’ve spent hours and hours searching the internet, but I haven’t come any closer to figuring her out. When we adopted her, we were told by one person that she was a Spaniel mix, another said she was a Lab mix, and someone said she was a Collie mix. Our vet said she has German shepherd in her. She is very much a mutt, but she is probably the prettiest, most regal looking mutt I’ve ever seen! I was never a fan of black dogs (no idea why!) before we adopted her, but I think she has helped me to see past the color because now I can’t get enough. Because of her, we’ve started fostering black labs for a rescue!

Where did you get Josie?  What's her story?

      Josie is my first rescue baby. One day I was on facebook looking at impounded dogs (an animal-lover I know of dedicates a page to the local animal shelter and posts all of the dogs needing homes everyday), and I came across the sweetest face. Underneath the picture there were dozens of comments indicating that she was going to be put down soon (our Animal Control is a high kill shelter, and kills 80% of the animals that they intake), and concerned facebookers were asking if anyone could just foster her until they could find her a home. I half-heartedly showed the picture to my boyfriend, Steven, saying "aw let's go save her!" but we had said it half-jokingly about many other dogs we'd seen online. It wasn't that we didn't want to save them; we just weren't if we could make the commitment since we are both college students, I have a job, boyfriend is in the National Guard, and we have very busy schedules in general (somehow it works though!). In the end, there was just something about this picture that made me drive all the way down to Animal Control to at least meet her. When I got there, she wasn't there! I looked through all of the enclosed areas about 3 times over looking for her cute face. I finally asked someone, who told me she had just been adopted! I was happy she was saved but a little disappointed since I’d been getting used to the idea of having a puppy. When I got home, I went back to the picture and read that the person who had adopted her was just going to foster her until they found her a home. I immediately messaged the person, saying that I wanted her, and a couple hours later she was mine!

How did Josie get her name?

      I wish there was a better story behind her name, but the simple fact is, I CANNOT make up my mind when it comes to naming anything! I was afraid we would have to go days with no name for her, so I asked a friend of mine. She suggested Josephine, which is a name that I have always loved, and it is one that can be shortened! We have never called her Josephine, since dogs respond best to 2-syllable names, and Josie is just easier anyway.

What are Josie's favorite things to do?  Things that make her unique? Crazy quirks or special sweet things she does? 

     Josie will chew on pretty much ANYTHING. “My dog ate my homework” is a scenario that could very likely happen in our house! In fact, paper and cardboard are her favorite things to eat. Toys do not last very long with her. I have not yet found a toy that can withstand her destruction, and believe me I’ve tried all of the expensive ones! I’ve lost many pairs of leather sandals to Josie, a laptop cord, and most recently, my debit card! She doesn’t seem to like chewing up Steven’s things as much, but she LOVES to put holes in his army socks. Besides causing mayhem with chewed up debit cards (haha), one of Josie’s favorite things to do is play chase. She will play fetch, but she thinks being chased is WAY more fun. Something funny, that I guess you could say is unique about Josie is what we call her “poop” bark. She definitely lets us know when she REALLLLLY has to go, and I never tire of hearing it because it is SO hilarious! I joke that Josie has trained US, because she does things to get her way. She will bring her bowl to you if she thinks she needs food or water, and sometimes if we are watching TV or doing homework, she will purposely walk by with something in her mouth (that she isn’t supposed to have) so you will pay attention to her instead.

  

What makes [Josie so special to you and your family?  What does she mean to you?

      Josie is so special to us because she is our first fur baby. Having this new responsibility really made mine and Steven’s relationship grow in good ways, and I really feel like our love for this pup has brought us closer together. I cannot imagine life without her, she brings so much happiness and laughter into our tiny apartment! One of the biggest reasons coming to college and being away from home was so hard was because I didn’t have my dogs. I will always be a HUGE lover of dogs (Steven is as well), and I think life is just so much better with them! Coming home is one of the greatest parts of my day, whether I’ve been gone for 10 minutes or 3 hours, because no matter what Josie will greet you as if it’s been 10 years! She keeps me company when Steven is gone, and she always cheers me up when I need it. She is just such a great companion for the both of us and we have become a family with her!

If there's anything you think should be shared and it wasn't asked in a question, share it here.  :)

      Josie has a foster brother! Having Josie has brought me in contact with other people who love animals, and I’ve become aware of the vast amount of dogs that need homes in our shelters. The reality is, most black dogs do not make it out of the shelter, and Josie probably wouldn’t have if there weren’t people out there who cared. Because of this, we decided to foster dogs. We took on 2 black labs (in addition to Josie) in our apartment, and it was hard in the beginning but SO worth it!  We have since found a home for one of them, but Josie still has Mongo as a playmate. Fun fact about Mongo: He absolutely LOVES car rides and will jump into any car with a door/window open! When he gets really excited, he does a little dance trot with his feet. He is one of the sweetest dogs ever and we will miss him when he goes to a new home! (Mongo is the dog on the right in the picture)  

Thank you so much Adriane for sharing Josie with us!  This story is just one more reminder of how incredibly wonderful shelter dogs are.  Remember them the next time you want to add a furry member to your family. :)

Just as a reminder-  I donate $10 of every sale in my shop to an animal charity.  Do a little Christmas shopping and find a crochet hat or scarf for someone special.  It'll benefit you and some animals in need!