The Wuppies

People often ask how it is we came to have four dogs - and it's such a great story! Given that I am miles away from them right now and missing them terribly, I will give you the inside scoop.

Baxter came to us through special order. At the time, Brooke was showing signs of allergies and I wanted a hypoallergenic dog. After searching on the Internet, I found a Malte-Poo breeder in Texas. I fell in love with the pictures of the little white hairballs and a few days later, Baxter arrived at Sky Harbor Airport. Seriously, he had to be the cutest puppy ever - just this tiny little ball of fur. Like other pedigree or highly bred dogs, Baxter's definitely had his share of problems, not the least of which were two hernia surgeries. But he's a tough little guy and after being with us for eight years, he's definitely the alpha dog in the house, despite his tiny size.

Bangara's story is extra-special and one many people know. However, I could tell it over and over again. I hope that one day I'm truly able to capture the miracle of his life in a book or a screenplay (don't you think it would make a great Disney movie?).

One of the warnings we received prior to leaving for India, was to stay away from the dogs. They would be everywhere and they had a tendency to move in packs and not only carry disease, but could also attack. However, nothing prepared me for what I was about to encounter.

If you have ever visited a foreign country, you may have seen a stray dog here or there, wandering around. In Bangalore, the only thing more plentiful than the dogs are the people. Dogs are everywhere you look, some thin, some deformed, all beautiful. For the first few days, I did pretty good at avoiding them, but the third night I saw Bangara. He was injured and sick and I couldn't walk away from him. We had an instant bond, instant trust. I have a picture from that very first night where he came up to me on the sidewalk and just collapsed onto his back in front of me, letting me pet him. That night I decided I wanted to try and rescue him and bring him back to the US. It's a long story, and one I never thought would necessarily have a happy ending, but he's here with us, living the life of luxury in Arizona! For a wild street dog, he is very clean, never had an accident in the house, and is completely loyal to his family. He is the protector of the family and the other dogs and I am so happy I was able to get him home where he belongs.

And then there's the newest members of the family, with stories no less special than Bangara's. Brooke and I were volunteering for Foothills Animal Rescue and working at their adoption events. I was also on the list to foster, if necessary, but had let them know I was only able to accept puppies or kittens due to my uncertainty how Bangara would take to a new animal coming in. I received a call on a Wednesday in mid-January that there were two puppies needing a foster home. They were both under the four pound weight threshold to be spayed/neutered and as such, had been placed on the euthanize list. They were a brother and sister, golden retriever mix. Honestly, as much as my heart wanted to help these little babies, I was a bit apprehensive about D's reaction to bringing two more dogs into the house. Once I received his ok to pick them up, I excitedly went to the pound in South Phoenix.

Walking in, I was dismayed to see the many animals sitting with their owners waiting to be turned in. I knew that in reality many of these animals would never be adopted and they would end up destroyed, like the thousands of others each year. I wanted to smack the owners, but knew I couldn't say or do anything. They brought me into the back to see the little ones I was there to pick up. Both of them were still in with their mama, a tiny, thin, scared, and sickly looking golden retriever mix. She had been an owner turn-in, and like many of the dogs in the waiting room, I doubted she would ever be adopted. My heart broke and I wanted so badly to take her too, but I knew I couldn't. Maybe I wasn't cut out for this? But then they placed these two tiny pups in my hand, gave me some papers, and walked me out. I was in love.

A brother and sister, both little balls of fur, each acting like their sex. The boy, who would be named Rocky, was sturdy and tough, wanting to explore and get off my lap. Every so often, he would let out an oh-so-scary bark. His sister, Sierra, on the other hand, just lay quietly in my lap, looking up at me every once in awhile, seemingly more bothered by the trip the anything. She was covered with ticks, but other than that, looked healthy. I stopped at PetsMart with them to pick up a few necessities and had to keep people from touching and holding them. I quickly fell into protective mama mode.

I shouldn't have been worried about D's reaction to the babies. The first thing he said? "Do you want to live with us forever??" (said in a baby voice). I continued to insist to D and to the girls that this was a temporary foster arrangement. We would have them until they had gained enough weight to be spayed/neutered and placed for adoption. Two days passed and we were getting them into a routine, when I received another call. A pup needed to be rescued from the euthanasia list. While he met the weight requirement, he was very sick and could not be put out for adoption. At first we refused, worrying about the virus and getting the other pups sick, but it tore at my heart all day and I just had to call at the end of the day to be sure he found a home. He didn't. I was on my way to the pound to pick up my third puppy in three days.

Out back once again, and this time they placed a heavy, but very sick dog in my arms. He had green discharge coming from his nose, was congested, and appeared to be very dehydrated. He was so sick that he didn't even react to the fact that we were carrying him away from the pound and putting him in our car. Unlike Sierra and Rocky, our boy Sampson was found on the streets with his litter. Brooke had carrier duties in the car and that ended up being the worst seat to have. Half way home he started vomiting and didn't seem to stop until we got there. After a quick bath to get off the first level of dirt, I wrapped him in a towel and he slept on my chest without moving. We decided it was best to keep him separated from the other puppies because of the infection, but after a few nights of constant crying, we gave in and he joined Rocky and Sierra in the guest bathroom.

The first week was so sad. His nasal congestion was so bad, he could barely breath. We gave him antibiotics and IV fluids, but his recovery proved slow. After awhile we started to see his personality emerge and before long, he became one of the pack.

The time came for us to get them spayed and neutered and put them out for adoption. The thought of them leaving was heart-breaking. Rocky had fallen in love with my friend Jeannie and she was looking for a puppy, so it was an easy choice to let him go with her. But Sierra had become my little girl with crazy ears and Sampson had shown some nervous/aggressive behaviors with children and strangers. We just couldn't part with them, right?

And that's how we came to have our four babies....