In January of 2017, I opened my phone to see a text from my sister, and a picture of a dog. “Uh oh”, I thought to myself. I scrolled further to see that she was telling me that this dog was on the euthanasia list, and needed to be adopted immediately. At first, I replied “Are you crazy?! You know I already have two dogs!”, but the picture got to me- I’m a sucker for dogs. After an afternoon, I drove up to the shelter to see this dog. When those golden eyes looked up at me, I was a goner, so I adopted him right then and there. From there, he got a trip to Hollywood Feed, then we went to the vet for a checkup. He was 4 years old and they found he had heartworms and was very underweight. Heartworm treatment can be expensive, but there is a fantastic program that Paws & Claws has in Tipton County to make it very affordable. I decided to take care of those nasty little heartworms and begin the treatment later that week. For now, I wanted to get my new friend home and bathed. After an entire year, Max is heartworm free and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. We have overcome a lot of strange behaviors and he has learned some house manners, but his personality is very distinct and comical, and I am blessed with it daily.

I adopted my other two dogs, but this experience was unique in teaching me that new members of your family can come from anywhere and at any time- no matter how prepared you are. So, always remember to open your heart to a new member of your family, no matter how old or what their health state is. We all need some love.