FOUR LEGS ONLY
by Amanda Halkiotis
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| A puppy was the perfect gift for Valentine's Day |
Everyone knows I love animals. If someone needs a pet-sitter, I
always oblige, and often at no charge. Sometimes on the weekends, my boyfriend and
I go to the Union Square or Tompkins Square Park dog runs just to observe
canines chasing each other leash-free.
Some gals my age, in their late twenties and facing down thirty
with rapid acceleration, get blindsided by baby fever. I, on the other hand, have been
stricken with a slight variation: a serious case of puppy fever.
After moving into our new apartment that allows dogs of all sizes, a rarity in New York City rentals, I couldn’t wait any longer to become a doggy mommy.
After moving into our new apartment that allows dogs of all sizes, a rarity in New York City rentals, I couldn’t wait any longer to become a doggy mommy.
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| Snug as a bug! |
“Let’s just go look,” I told my boyfriend a few weekends ago. I
wanted to visit Manhattan Animal Care and Control on East 110th Street. He wanted to stay in Queens to run some light errands and get back home
early. We compromised, doing errands first, but in Manhattan, and then stopping
by the animal shelter afterward.
ACC has adoptable dogs, cats, and even rabbits. A public city
agency, they are required by law to take in any critters they get calls for, that
people drop off, or that get left in their lobby. They operate as a kill
shelter out of limited space and funding, but only as a last resort.
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| Pretending to sleep with one eye open! |
Vets on staff rehabilitate sick or injured animals before putting them to sleep, and their current euthanasia numbers have been at an all-time low. As proud New Yorkers with a harboring social conscience for all city residents, regardless of species, we knew that we wanted to save a life. And, we both also happen to be huge pit bull fans (the dog breed, not the rapper).
Because of illegal operations like dog fighting, the large
litters that pits have (up to 15 puppies), or just poor pet ownership, many
dogs at ACC have a little bit of pit in them. You can also find purebreds,
however, including German shepherds, Labs and other retrievers, and smaller
breeds like Chihuahuas.
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| At last I am a doggy mommy! |
So much for window shopping --- three days later, the Wednesday after our shelter visit, we
introduced our new family member, Halle, to her forever home. A pit bull mix (we
think part hound, maybe even Rhodesian Ridgeback given her coloring and
temperament), sweet Halle loves to cuddle.
The summary sheet on Halle’s cage at the shelter told us they found her tied up in Washington Heights by West 182nd Street. Sometimes, this happens if owners leave their dogs and forget about them while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Other times, we learned, owners tie up their own pets and call into ACC to report them as abandoned in order to get rid of them.
While they can’t know for sure, they guessed Halle’s age at around 3-4 months old and the vet weighed her in at just over 20 pounds. A bit emaciated, with her ribs still showing through her skin even today, we know she will grow up to be a big pup, and might even top out at 60 or more pounds.
She greets us at the door as soon as we come home, with her waggy tail and kissy face. She then settles down, joining us on the couch for some primetime TV viewing. If we get up, she gets up, too, and follows us around the apartment.
We've given her antibiotics for her kennel cough, a bronchitis-like virus that just has to run its course. Still under the weather, though, sometimes she just lies in her bed and watches us from there.
The summary sheet on Halle’s cage at the shelter told us they found her tied up in Washington Heights by West 182nd Street. Sometimes, this happens if owners leave their dogs and forget about them while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Other times, we learned, owners tie up their own pets and call into ACC to report them as abandoned in order to get rid of them.
While they can’t know for sure, they guessed Halle’s age at around 3-4 months old and the vet weighed her in at just over 20 pounds. A bit emaciated, with her ribs still showing through her skin even today, we know she will grow up to be a big pup, and might even top out at 60 or more pounds.
She greets us at the door as soon as we come home, with her waggy tail and kissy face. She then settles down, joining us on the couch for some primetime TV viewing. If we get up, she gets up, too, and follows us around the apartment.
We've given her antibiotics for her kennel cough, a bronchitis-like virus that just has to run its course. Still under the weather, though, sometimes she just lies in her bed and watches us from there.
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| Halle will grow up to be about 60 pounds. |
Before experiencing it firsthand, I knew, but didn’t quite
grasp that dogs love their owners unconditionally. I have a better
understanding of this now. Halle cannot wait for us to wake up in the morning.
When we leave for work, she freezes in place, cocks her head to the side and, I
swear, pouts a little.
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| We prefer to stay home and snuggle with Halle. |
In our laps on the couch she stretches out spread-eagle,
protecting us like armor. I don’t even like going out at night or on the
weekends as much anymore. Even with "Mandatory Couples’ Night Out," i.e.,
Valentine’s Day looming over us come this Thursday, my boyfriend and I just want
to stay in and relax, and hang with Halle.
According to us, we already celebrated our love together last month, by sharing it with an adorable, affectionate pooch who needed it --- and us --- more than anything.
According to us, we already celebrated our love together last month, by sharing it with an adorable, affectionate pooch who needed it --- and us --- more than anything.
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| Halle is full of love. |
Looking to adopt a furry New Yorker? These organizations can find your match.
1 comment:
Wonderful posts! We love dogs too and it's terrific that you saved this doggie from a shelter.Love the pics!
Phil
www.blog.theregularguynyc.com
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