Kirby came to live at our house at the end of June/beginning of July rescued foster dogs looking for his Fur-Ever Home from a southern state puppy mill.  He was rescued along with 5 other female breading Doxies.  My wife Judy and I had been foster dogs in our home for All American Dachshund Rescue since October 2013 and knew that the day would come that we just had to adopt one of these precious little animals.  Every dog to that point had become more and more difficult to say good-bye to as they were successfully adopted and left our care.  I certainly knew that they all were going to wonderful homes based on the diligent work that the organization did prior to approving an applicant for adoption, but that didn’t make it any easier for me on the scheduled transport date. 2014 as oneof our 

When we picked Kirby up from the volunteer transport in Glens Falls, NY for his last leg of his journey to his foster he was most definitely the most timid and scared puppy we had received thus far.  He was tucked into his carrier and had no interest in coming out of it to meet us.  It got to the point that we had to disassemble the carrier to get him out because even when left alone, he did not come out on his own.  When we finally got him out, his appearance was that of a dog that had never been touched by loving hands nor had he even ever been groomed prior to his rescue.  He was a huge fluff ball of hair (with slight matting in places) and was extremely hot in the summer sun.  Judy was able to get him to walk a very short distance but he was not interested in human contact whatsoever. 

Over the next few days, he would go outside and build a “nesting” area next to our house in the mulch and would not leave that area if there were people outside.  When we weren’t outside, he would proceed to run laps tight to our fenced in area until someone came outside and then he’d go right back to his nesting area.  Up to this point, I had always been able to make a quick strong bond to the other foster dogs, but he was testing my abilities in that arena, as he wasn’t too sure he still wanted human affection.  Over the next few weeks, he slowly came out of his shell with the help of the two other foster dogs we had and quickly became a wonderful pet quality puppy.  His emotional and physical state were getting much better, as now he had a professional grooming and his diet was getting regular and he did not have to compete for it.  This was about the time we decided that Kirby was going to be our dog.home, 

On July 16^th, we informed the organization that we wanted to adopt Kirby and submitted the application.  On August 4^th, 2014, Kirby’s adoption was finalized and was the newest official member of our family.  Since then, Kirby has done a 180 degree change in his appearance and demeanor.  He is such a fun little guy to have around.  He looks forward to his daily walks when we get home from work.  He has learned how to gain his daily freedom from being cooped up in the house via the newly installed dog door.  His biggest change for the good was when we decided to integrate him into a daily raw diet.  He absolutely loves it and seems to have much more energy and alertness to him since this began.  He is eagerly awaiting the arrival of our next foster Doxy in the next week to hopeful make quick friends with and has company during the day while his humans are at work. 

I wanted to share this quick little story with you all as a testament to the great services that All American Dachshund Rescue provides these wonderful little animals.  In many cases these Doxies have not been dealt a fare hand in life and this organization provides them the opportunity they so very much deserve.  My hat is off to ALL those involved, and I THANK YOU on behalf of myself, Judy, Kirby, and every other Dachshund that is curled up in his/her doggie bed in a warm loving house with a family/owner that wants them as a member of their family.

Sincerely,

Wendell