Lulu Snow found her way into our home through chance. My boyfriend and I were talking about getting another dog since Babs, our Springer Spaniel, is creeping up in age, 12, and I almost lost her 3 years ago to a really bad case of Pneumonia. My boyfriend, Brad, mentioned Huskies and onto research I went. I talked to local people with Huskies and my trainer (also my dog nutritionist) and finally after many hours of reading and talking I looked them up in PetFinder. To my astonishment the Peggy Adams Humane Society, 10 minutes from my house had a female, 1 year old!

We went down to the Shelter on a weekend and saw the dog. She was a neurotic mess. Pacing, jumping up and pawing the cage although it looked more like dancing to me. I knew that this breed did not do well in shelters and she sure was pitiful. Her run had said she was adopted though so after time with her we looked around at the other dogs. I do not know what provoked the thought but I started wondering what happened if an adoption fell through. Brad suggested I ask about the adoption process, so I asked the front desk and a lovely, young women, Noel, started telling me about the process.

You fill out a 2 page form, meet with a counselor, meet the dog if they approve you and if appropriate, then you introduce your pet to the dog the next day and take it home if all goes well. The catch was you wait a day before taking the dog home and many times it fell through for that reason (people tend to be impulsive on getting pets) or she said there is a conflict with current pets. She went on to tell me that was the case with a dog that same morning, the Husky! With butterflies in my stomach, we went home and talked about the dog and decided to sleep on it. The next day we went down and spoke to the counselor (Lise) and she approved us to home a Husky (half the battle since they are cautious on homing Huskies). We spent an hour with the dog, David and Lise trying to get a feel for who Lulu was. We decided to see what Babs thought but we had to wait an extra day to introduce the two since the shelter was closed on Monday. What a horrible day Monday was as the suspense kept adding up. Finally, after very little sleep, we brought Babs down to meet Lulu. As I reminded myself to breath, crossed my fingers and prayed, they hit it off and we spent almost an hour watching them to make sure Babs was ok and Lulu was as well. I was over the moon! We paid the fee, signed the forms and loaded them up. First stop was the beach, what better way to enjoy freedom?!

Since Huskies are bred to run miles and miles day after day I am constantly coming up with new ways to challenge her mentally and physically. Every day is an adventure and I would end up in the hospital before she tired! I have discovered if you put up a good effort in daily activity she is happy. She does not need to mush as her breed was designed to do to feel fulfilled. Nor does she have to live in below 0 degrees as she loves the sun, beach and warm water. On colder evenings she actually crawls between Brad and I in bed!

So as you can see from my story I did not jump into getting a Husky. It all fell into place that way and I am thrilled it did. Definitely not a dog for a first time dog owner as I have never met such a stubborn creature! I have been speaking with my friend, nutritionist, and trainer, Kim Brammer of Animal House of Distinction since the first day I brought her home (I actually took Lulu to meet Kim and have Kim evaluate her the same day). She requires a consistent hand and positive aids. In return she showers us with love and makes our house more of a home. We celebrated her basic obedience graduation today, she came in third (missed 1st place by 2 points, silly stays) out of a class of twelve, even beating a Golden Retriever! We are framing and hanging Lulu's diploma under Brad's Florida Bar Diploma.

We have had Lulu for 6 months now and I couldn't be happier even though it took her a month to waggle her tail (her curled tail fans side to side). She has an extensive vocabulary including grumbles (often misinterpreted as growls) to play, get attention, when we come home; it is her go-to sound. Howls, barks, grunts, yodels, and other sounds that yet have a name. She loves to swim, diving head first in pools and taking laps to leaping over waves into the ocean. She loves the dog park where she has made many, many friends. She loves to stick her head out of the sunroof and go on car rides. She loves taking all her toys out of the basket (she has many) and just looking at them, making sure they are all there. She spends holidays where ever we are (and a big plate of yummy holiday meals). She is a picky eater often rejected meals of better quality than mine (think Whole Foods chicken thighs, ribeye,..). She snuggles in bed (I often sleep on my stomach and she will rest her head on my back) and I am woken by kisses.  I like to think she is just as thrilled about her new life as we are.

 Because the adoption went so well, I have been volunteering at the Humane Society. I though what better way to give back to the place that gave me so much more than I could have expected or asked for.

With fond regards,

Brad, Megan, Babs and Lulu

 I would like to reiterate that this was all made possible by the staff and volunteers of Peggy Adams. I can not thank you all enough. It is easy to remember the counselor that you had immediate contact with but often overlooked yet equally important: the front desk that accepts the intake's paper work and processes is, answers phones, etc, the vets and techs, kennel techs, management, volunteers, office employees, sponsors, and the list goes on. Everyone played their part in Lulu's journey from arriving at the shelter to finding her forever home and I am forever thankful for your participation.

Our family adopted Chloe a few weeks ago, and she's such a funny, sweet little girl.  She's a bundle of energy and loves racing around the back yard and playing with her squeaky toys.   As she's getting used to her new house, her house training is getting much better!

Thank you for letting us bring Chloe home; she's a wonderful addition to our family!

Three years ago, my son and I stopped at the shelter to make a donation as we often do. As his school was across the street, stopping at Peggy Adams was on our "to do" list. Bringing home another dog, was not.

With 5 minutes until closing, I wrote out a check and David, my son, went into the "Small Dogs" section. There, resting ever so peacefully, was a 6 month old, red, setter/lab with the most loving brown eyes.

David pulled his own version of "puppy-eyes", and I took a look. Goner. We took "Boo", now renamed Finnegan Henderson, out to play. Fun, frisky with a bad hip. PERFECT!  Just what I needed; dog #3. With his ribs sticking out and bunny-hopping, who else would take him, I rationalized. In the car and home we went.

Our 2 little dogs fell in love with this rambunctious, red ball of energy. Within a short period time, we ascertained that Finn was a 'guys dog'. He took to my husband and sons immediately. He sleeps on my side of the bed, but what a suck up!

Finn is now a service dog, but my husband still answers the question, "What kind of dog is he?" with "A cross between dumb & stupid." as Finn is our dopey dog and we love him.

Nina, Michael, Liza, Andrew &David

Murphy & Finnegan

Several years ago while I was living in Florida, I visited the animal rescue, just to visit.  Little did I know I would be leaving that day with my fuzzy daughter.  Liberty or "Berty" as we call her, was 8 lbs of fluffy adorableness.  She was the last of her litter still left at the shelter and when I bent down to look in the crate she came right up to the front.  I remember the volenteer that was in there saying how suprised he was because she tended to be a very shy dog.  I looked into her big brown eyes and that was that, I HAD to have her! 

7 years later, Berty is still the most adorable dog you have ever seen!  She is so smart, and learned so quickly.  Whenever anyone is looking for a dog, I always say to adopt.  Thank you to the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue for providing a temporary home for these furry angels while they wait for their people!!

Jen & Berty

Thanks for visiting our updated ARL Alumni page.  We hope you'll share your stories and photos. To upload an image click on the icon that looks like mountains and the sun.    If you have difficulty email the photos to us and we'll load them for you.  Thank you for saving a life!

One June morning I picked up the Palm Beach Post and turned to a page with a picture of the most adorable 5 mo. old Collie/Shepard puppy, Isabella ( Peggy Adams Pet of the Week)....Surprising the girls, Emily and Sarah, we drove to Peggy Adams to find this gorgeous 45lb puppy....she has grown to about 85lbs ......we take 4 mile walks almost every day but the favorite day of the week for "IssyBee" is Saturday....we get up early and head for the Jupiter Dog Beach where we run free in the sand and ocean and meet our "friends".Our Beautiful Isabella is the Love of our Life!!!!  Thank you for the training day and for sheltering our beauty until she became ours................Debbie, Emily, Sarah, Diane and Herb  (Doodle and Bear, our felines!)