We adopted Missy (formerly "Olympia"), the rescued Coonhound formerly on death row at a shelter in central Virginia, three weeks ago (8/18/2012). Through the valiant efforts of about a dozen ABTCR volunteers, Missy was eventually flown from Baltimore, MD, to San Francisco, CA, to begin her new life.

This picture of Missy in the kill shelter just grabbed me and caused me to want to do whatever I could to help her. What's the best way to help her? Adopt her! So I did.

She was very timid at first and also very nervous, jumping at every little noise in her new environment. She's still a bit timid and it's clear she is more comfortable around women than men, possibly indicating that there may have been some abuse by men in her background. That's the frustrating part about stray dogs - you just don't know what has happened to them in their past, but you really want to know so that you can understand their needs, behaviors, fears, and even know their age. My vet thinks Missy is about two years old and she is now showing a lot less fear, especially toward me. She knows that I am the primary care giver for our four dogs and I think that because food, pets, treats, and play time all come from me (mostly), the fear is starting to subside and I now see lots of tail wags and loving gestures from her. It makes my wife and me very happy to see that transformation.

Missy sure had no trouble getting to know our other three dogs! She has been chasing, wrestling, taunting, and clowning around with all three, two Labs and a Sheltie.

Missy also enjoys the opportunity to stretch her legs out and RUN! The dogs have a 1/4-acre fenced dog yard that they call their own and she uses every inch of it. This pic shows her after chasing the Labs around the dog yard until they all could run no more.

After spending the day running, playing, and getting to know her new surroundings and new "parents", Missy has some quiet time with her toys. We are so pleased to have her in our family and we were thrilled to be able to pull a homeless dog away from the Grim Reaper and give her a loving forever home!

Jim