Raleigh now Rowdie
Raleigh came into our group in March of this year. He spent the first two years of his life living a miserable existence in a puppy mill. As if that weren't bad enough, he survived a terrible housefire while in foster care. Thanks to the quick actions of a kind and brave fireman, he was rescued for the second time in his life. The fireman heard Raleigh barking, saw him emerge from the smoke, grabbed him up, and tossed him to another fireman at the bottom of the stairs, where he was taken to the safety of a neighbor's house. His white fur was totally gray from the smoke and singed in places, but he recovered. Not long after that, Raleigh was adopted into a wonderful new home. His name is Rowdie now, and he is one happy and loved little dog!
Here's a letter we recently received from Rowdie:
My owner, Jan, has been very negligent. When she adopted me I distinctly heard her promise to send you a picture of me for Happy Tails, and I know that she never lived up to that promise. However, today I took over the computer and here is a picture of me in my stylishly short, summer haircut.
I love living in Houston! At first I was very shy and didn’t know how to act because everything was so new, but one thing I found that I liked right away was going for a walk, even though I did not know how to walk properly and, at first, didn’t act at all like a dog. The sky was too big, and I was too busy looking around to pay attention to all the doggie cafes and bars along the way, but now that I’ve matured I visit each and every watering spot on my daily walks.
A few days after I moved into Jan’s house she took me out in the yard and I think that I finally realized that I was no longer going to be confined to a dog carrier 24 hours a day. Once that thought set in I took off running in these huge circles around Jan, talking all the while, telling her how wonderful it felt to have the freedom to run. I still do that at least once a day because I know it makes her happy. It makes me happy, too.
I am pretty well potty trained (except when I get mad at Jan for going off and leaving me). I’m healthy, eat like a little glutton, get groomed monthly and have tons, and tons of toys (but Jan’s socks are still my favorites). I also have a cat. At first I didn’t know what this strange thing was so I stayed away from it, in case it was dangerous, but now I know it’s just Ariel, another member of the household, and we get along fine. Sometimes we even touch noses but I never chase her, which seems to make her (and Jan) happy.
We are sorry that we did not get up to the reunion. Maybe we’ll be able to make it next year. And I am really happy to see that all of my brothers and sisters from Oklahoma have been adopted. I think about them often.
Both Jan and I want to thank you, and all your friends and volunteers, for everything that you’ve done to give me a new life. I am so happy to be living with Jan and Jan tells me all the time how much joy I bring into her life.
Isn’t life grand?
Love,
Rowdie/Raleigh
I love living in Houston! At first I was very shy and didn’t know how to act because everything was so new, but one thing I found that I liked right away was going for a walk, even though I did not know how to walk properly and, at first, didn’t act at all like a dog. The sky was too big, and I was too busy looking around to pay attention to all the doggie cafes and bars along the way, but now that I’ve matured I visit each and every watering spot on my daily walks.
A few days after I moved into Jan’s house she took me out in the yard and I think that I finally realized that I was no longer going to be confined to a dog carrier 24 hours a day. Once that thought set in I took off running in these huge circles around Jan, talking all the while, telling her how wonderful it felt to have the freedom to run. I still do that at least once a day because I know it makes her happy. It makes me happy, too.
I am pretty well potty trained (except when I get mad at Jan for going off and leaving me). I’m healthy, eat like a little glutton, get groomed monthly and have tons, and tons of toys (but Jan’s socks are still my favorites). I also have a cat. At first I didn’t know what this strange thing was so I stayed away from it, in case it was dangerous, but now I know it’s just Ariel, another member of the household, and we get along fine. Sometimes we even touch noses but I never chase her, which seems to make her (and Jan) happy.
We are sorry that we did not get up to the reunion. Maybe we’ll be able to make it next year. And I am really happy to see that all of my brothers and sisters from Oklahoma have been adopted. I think about them often.
Both Jan and I want to thank you, and all your friends and volunteers, for everything that you’ve done to give me a new life. I am so happy to be living with Jan and Jan tells me all the time how much joy I bring into her life.
Isn’t life grand?
Love,
Rowdie/Raleigh
