Angel - Homeless Cock-a-Poo surrendered twice!

Angel with a chew toy

Get Well - starring Angel in one of her many cards

  Angel is also our own rescued pup. We adopted her in Maryland from a group of volunteers who routinely visited one of the local Baltimore County shelters to pick up dogs and cats that they could re-home.  Originally, Angel had been purchased at a pet store and was given as a surprise Christmas gift by a well-meaning grandparent to a busy family with three small children and two working parents. Sadly, pets given as surprise gifts can feel more like a burden than a joy to a family that is already stressed for time. This loving little puppy found herself homeless only 8 months later and her prospects didn't look good.

   In August, while the mother took the kids on a trip, the father  surrendered the 10 month old to a shelter, perhaps not realizing that the policy was to euthanize animals turned in by their families.  I'm not sure what he planned to tell the kids when they got home...
   Once rescued, Angel (a.k.a. Crystal) was adopted - for one day, but she was returned because she had an accident on the carpet. Obviously this brief test could only be passed by a well-trained dog. No exceptions!  As the saying goes, their loss was our gain. 
   This is exactly why many dogs are given up. People don't seem to realize that pets are not born knowing what you expect them to do.  Potential givers must also understand how much work and time is involved in caring for and training a puppy.
   Angel has been our cherished pup for 14 + years and she is still going strong! She's 15 pounds of know-it-all who later became a wonderful  sister (and mom) to our little tri-paw rescue, Patch (tomorrow's post !)