Too Puppy, Jelly Bean
Jelly Bean’s momma was hours away from being euthanized while VERY pregnant. She was rescued at the last possible moment, and three days later had nine pups! We are so fortunate to have one of those perfect little pups. Jelly Bean was one pound when she became a part of our family.
We may have rescued her at the start, but she has rescued us many times over. We are truly blessed to have her in our family and she is our daughter’s best friend.
Meet Rocky…”Too Toothy”
We moved our family from Connecticut to south Florida and told our kids, Jaren and Michele, that once we bought our new house we would get a dog. We found Pet Haven Rescue from an internet search and a couple of pictures caught our eye. Rocky had been born at the rescue facility and was a true mutt: Shih Tzu, Pug and Poodle mix. He was the only one in his litter that ended up looking like he did. All his siblings looked more like mama Poodle. We loved his funny teeth and he was a very calm dog.
Rocky had already been adopted and was returned a month after his adoption because the man, a church pastor, was having problems with his knees and was afraid he wouldn’t be able to take Rocky on walks. He prayed that a nice family with a large yard and fence would end up adopting the dog. We happen to have a very large yard and a fence for Rocky! The funny thing is that Rocky goes and hides whenever anyone mentions the “walk” word. He is a homebody. And, the best dog we’ve ever had!
Meet Fiona…featured in “Too Licky” as Too Drooly!
Fiona was a stray in Miami-Dade county. She was brought in by Animal Care and Control with a fresh litter of pups. The puppies adopted out fast, and Fiona even found a home, too. Because she had just had puppies, her new parents were to bring her back to be spayed after she recovered. Well, they brought her in, but never came back to pick her up. Once again, she was up for adoption. This time she found a loving home, but her anxiety was full blown. She kept running away. Again, she was returned to Miami-Dade pound. When I went to pick her up, she had days left before she would be euthanized.
When she came to my home she was very lethargic and moppy. She would rearrange my house if I left her home alone. So, I brought her with me everywhere until she livened up a bit. Then, I introduced her to a crate, which she loves. I call it her room. It gave her a safe space while I was away at work. Other than work, she came with me and was my shotgun rider in the truck.
Now, six years later she has two human sisters and is living the life! We have our ups and downs, but she was and will always be my first baby. I couldn’t ask for a better dog!
Too Fluffy, Professor
In 2007, I received an email forwarded to me from a friend who was highly involved in the local shelter and rescue. It showed photos of a very depressed “Poodle,” who wasn’t handling shelter life very well and needed a home as the end of his time was near. He had been found wandering in a field so matted and dirty that he had to be shaved. He looked sad and naked! I sent my now husband to the shelter because I was sure I’d have to take every animal home if I went. He described walking past all the happy bouncing balls of fur to the last cage, where he found a dog that looked sick. Professor wouldn’t look at him. My husband came home to get me and our other dog so we could see how they would do together.
As soon as Professor was brought out of his cage into the meet-and-greet area he was like a new dog! Smiling and sitting up! Excited as he could be to meet us and our other dog! So, guess who came home with us that day? Over time his very fluffy fur grew back in and we discovered he is really a Bichon. We tend to keep his fur short, but he’s quite fluffy if we let it grow. Professor’s now a sweet old man at 17 years old. He’s been an amazing doggy over the years!
Too Fancy, Maddox
Maddox is our rescue dog from Puerto Rico. My husband was working in the rainforest when this little puppy found him. One phone call and I was smitten! Then, $100 and three days later this little Sato was flown to Tennessee. We had to work through a lot of issues when he first came to our home, but within the year we welcomed our first daughter and his demeanor completely changed.
Everyone says this, but he truly is the BEST dog there ever was. Calm, patient and loving. Clearly, he is easy going as he’s pictured wearing a princess dress for a tea party!
Too Spotty, Barkley
Barkley was rescued after following children to a school bus. Rescue Adoptions found him and I adopted him in October 2016, the weekend after Hurricane Matthew hit. We realize he could have been stuck out in the storm, but thankfully he was found just in time!
Although we got Barkley for our daughter who is on the Autism spectrum, he has stolen all of our hearts. Barkley really is her best friend. He instantly knew she was unique and loves her dearly.
We are dumbfounded as to why anyone would’ve given up this little guy. When we got Barkley, he was skittish and had numerous scars (presumably from abuse). The most amazing thing is how quickly and easily he released his past and was able to open up to our daughter. It really is an amazing bond.
Too Fast, Bella
In October 2012, I came across a post on Facebook that said our local city shelter was packed to the gills and needed fosters. I looked through the album of dogs in need of fostering and saw this cute four-month-old puppy. She had an upper respiratory infection and needed to get out of the shelter to heal. I wondered how she got there all alone and what she had been through in her short life of only four months.
When I first laid eyes on her I knew, I was in trouble. She was adorable!
But, I already had three dogs. This one, whom we named Bella, we were intending to just foster…to save a life.
We made an adoption flyer and took Bella on several outings. As time passed, we knew we couldn’t let her go. We knew she was a part of our family so we decided to adopt her. Since, Bella has been an ambassador for her breed. She has her Canine Good Citizen® training. When Bella and I were turned away from a local event because of her breed, we stood up to the Jacksonville Beach city officials with the help of Pit Sisters. Now, you cannot have an event in Jacksonville beach that excludes any breed of dogs. Bella wants to end BSL! Every dog deserves love. Regardless of breed.
Too Small, Skippy
Skippy is a special, special-needs dog. He’s a 2 1/2-pound Chihuahua with barely any hair and three legs. He was born with a birth deformity yet, he still can do almost everything other dogs can do. He has his own little ways of communicating what he wants, when he wants it.
Skippy was rescued from a backyard breeder’s home, and now fills our home with pure love.
Too Big, Big Ben
Ben was our first rescue dog. He had been dropped off at the Humane Society and clearly showed signs of neglect. Thankfully, the Saint Bernard Rescue picked him up right away.
We had lost our first dog and were so incredibly heartbroken as our dog was very young and it was not expected. The woman who runs the Saint Bernard Rescue was a friend and she said she had the perfect dog for us. His name was Ben. Ben is so full of love and is excellent with kids. And, kids sure do love him! He is 180 pounds of pure love.
“Too Licky” followers!!
The book production is under way… our illustrator, Cynthia, is cranking out the illustrations of the precious rescue dogs we are featuring in the book!
In case you missed these updates…here’s a sneak peak of “Too tongue-y,” “Too toothy,” and “Too drooly.”
If you would still like to pre-order a copy of “Too Licky,” you can now do it on our website.
CLICK HERE: http://toolicky.com/pre-order-copy/
And lastly, we’ve added “TIPS for finding the ‘just right’ rescue” on our site.
CHECK IT OUT HERE: http://toolicky.com/rescue-tips/
We are grateful for your support!
Sending love,
Sugar, Gigi and Ryan (and mama Jody)!!
And receive our FREE Checklist with TIPS for finding the "just right" rescue!
