3 years ago, Pippa was still living in a shelter in Romania that is looked after by Prodogromania ev. No one can say whether she was born there, is a dog for sale, or was picked up as a puppy on the street.
I (Tina) would now like to tell you how Pippa came to us and why it was the best decision for us to adopt a dog from an animal shelter despite a 1.5-year-old toddler.
First of all we thought about what our dream dog had to bring with us, and that was quite a long list. Here are a few of the points that were important to us:
- It should not be too big, but also not too small
- Not overly hyperactive, but still be sporty
- Have a healthy conformation
- Get along with children and all kinds of small animals
- Be friendly to visitors
- be a bitch
Since we thought at the time that dogs from animal welfare organizations were far too difficult and that it would be irresponsible to adopt a dog "blindly" from the photo with a small child and no experience, we first looked for suitable breeds. But (fortunately) no breed appealed to us 100%. Then I contacted an old friend who I knew was very experienced with dogs and was somehow involved in animal welfare.
I found out that she has been the foster home of an animal protection organization for many years and always has around ten dogs at home. I had never heard of foster homes before. She enlightened me that there is no need to take in dogs without first meeting them, she would look for dogs that potentially fit our description. These would then come to a foster home near us, where we can see in peace and without pressure which dog suits us best. From that point on we stopped looking for pedigree dogs. Sequel follows...
