doggies!

I think it’s about time I start talking about my pets. It seems like it’s the thing to do, I know all this stuff about your (“you” being those in the knit-blogging world) pets, but I guess I’ve been keeping mine a secret.

A little over a month ago our dog, Annie, passed away. She was a very pretty girl, with a great sense of humor (yes, dogs think things are funny too). She was 12 years old, and we miss her very much.

After a few weeks we all decided that, although we weren’t ready for another dog, we definitely needed one. We’re just that kind of people - the kind of people who like dogs. So after some searching (petfinder.com is awesome), we picked up this little guy.

This is Quinn. He is a foxhound/beagle mix, and he’s really sweet. Since we got him from a shelter we don’t know exactly how old he is, but we’re guessing 3-4 months.

He’s adjusting very well to his new home. He loves being outside and eating things he’s not supposed to eat. He’s already gained 4 pounds and grown an inch or so since last week! (granted, he was a bit too skinny when we picked him up from the shelter).

Our cat, on the other hand, is not adjusting so well. All Quinn wants to do is make friends and play, while all Mittens wants to do is scratch his eyes out. Ah well, they’ll figure each other out at some point….

On another note, if anyone is looking for a pet, I highly recommend your local adoption center (rather than a breeder or a pet store). There are no-kill shelters all over the place (I was very surprised by how many there are! How didn’t I know about them?! Check them out on www.petfinder.com) who could really use your support. They take pets that are brought into them, but many also take animals out of high-kill shelters to give them a real chance at finding a home. Usually, they have a coordinator who sets the dogs (or cats, or whatever) up in foster homes, and their foster parents will bring the dogs into the center by appointment if someone wants to meet them. If a home is never found, the foster parents will take care of the animal for the rest of their life. On the other hand, the woman we got Quinn from keeps all the dogs in the bottom floor of her small home, while she lives on the top floor. Any dog that is not adopted she keeps – she has six so far! These people do all this while at the same time keeping full time jobs to support their adoption centers. So if you’re looking for a pet, don’t forget about these places!