I wanted to share my story and journey of My dog "Mama". I've always been an animal lover and have volunteered at animal shelters. I would give walks to these dogs and it just broke my heart to see all of these wonderful animals without a home to call their own.
Just prior to Valentine's Day in 2008, my best friend asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day. Some people would say chocolates, a dinner, or even roses. But my love for animals influenced my decision. So we decided to search online and through newspapers for a dog. Most people want puppies because they are so cute (and they are), but I think a little differently. I remembered my days of volunteering and how quickly some of the younger dogs got adopted whereas, the older dogs were permanent residents of the shelter without a home to call their own.
We then searched and searched and searched some more. Finally, we found the newest member of our family. Even though I had not met her, I knew "Mama" was definitely going to be a part of my family. Her photo was of a very beautiful, Yellow Labrador Retriever. But Mama's past wasn't the brightest. She was used for breeding in a puppy mill, where she constantly was being bred and it was just very sad. There are so many dogs that have this horrible thing happen to them. But we decided to meet up with a rescue group to meet Mama for the first time.
We went to the backyard and Mama was just out running and having fun, playing fetch. When we got a closer look, Mama was obviously overweight, bad shape, missing toenails, and teeth. But her spirit and smile was priceless. So we decided to adopt her from the rescue group. We took her home and first she met my 2 chihuahuas, Bijou and Gizmo. Mama was obviously a much bigger dog than them, not just in size but with her heart. They immediately became the best of friends. Next, my youngest son Landon, who was 14 months old at the time came up and gave Mama the biggest hug. Sometime children are not the gentlest with dogs, but Mama had no problem playing w/my son it didn't phase her at all.
Its been almost 18 months that we have had the pleasure of having Mama in our lives. Recently, my love for dogs once again came up. I wanted a teacup chihuahua. We again did an extensive search and we found a breeder that had some for sale. This happened to be the day before Easter. There were 6 puppies for sale, but I knew I had the right one. She was so tiny, only about 2 pounds when we met for the first time. I decided to name her Jia.
Jia is just full of energy, and just so active. Mama, being the mother of the many puppies that she has throughout her life, accepted Jia as one of her own. Its just so cute and heartwarming to see these two wonderful animals that have come from drastically different backgrounds, and see their friendship grow.
It doesn't stop there by far, I'm a single mother of two boys Tyler who is 11, and Landon who is almost 3. My brother is serving in the US Navy and all I have are my mother, and father. My family is very small, but my dogs make my family that much better. People and family shouldn't be judged by the size, color of ones skin, or in this case by species. We all have come from different backgrounds--some of them good and some very bad (such as Mama's). But, what is important is that no matter what Mama is protective of her family no matter if its one of my other dogs, myself, or my children and she accepts everyone with an open heart. She is such a wonderful dog, and if everyone could take a lesson from Mama...I think that their lives would be much better, and the world would be a much better place.
This is truly Mama's Family, thank you for sharing our story :-)