It all started when I got an email with a list of the dogs that were on the short list at our local shelter. I looked at the sweet faces and wanted to bring them all home. But one in particular caught my eye. His name was Harold and the information said he was a Lab mix. My husband and I have an affinity for Labs and Lab Mixes so when we saw him we just knew we had to act quickly. When the shelter gets full and rescues or foster homes aren't available, dogs are put down...and we could not let that happen to Harold. The fact that Harold was a big black dog didn't help his situation and we knew he was already on borrowed time.
We literally grabbed our jackets and went straight to the shelter. Our intention was simply remove Harold and save his life while we helped look for a suitable rescue. As we walked him around outside the shelter, we honestly wondered if he was the right dog for us. He still had plenty of puppy in him, he was already a big dog, and he was more than a little hyper. But there was something about Harold. The fact that he already knew how to "sit" told me that he had been around people at some point in his life and they must have cared enough to teach him that one thing.
We signed him out, and let him jump in the back of the car. Within minutes, he must have sensed that he was safe. He closed his eyes and slept most of the way to our house.
Over the next 24 hours, the idea of keeping Harold as only a foster vanished. His handsome face and goofy personality was all it took to make us fall in love and we decided that we wanted to be Harold's forever home. The year before we lost our 13 year old chocolate Lab so the decision to open our hearts and our home to a new dog didn't come lightly, but we knew it was the right thing to do...for all of us.
Once the adoption was "official" we immediately changed his name to Ace and today he is a member of our family and our real estate business. --- Robert and Carol Clay
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