When we went to Petsmart to get hay for our guinea pigs in December of 2012, we never imagined we’d adopt a dog. Certainly we never dreamed that a little scruffy terrier mutt would steal our hearts so completely, or that we would soon have not just one but four dogs of our own.
Charlie is the one who started it all. This crazy boy climbed a three-and-a-half foot tall playpen then jumped into Amy’s arms to keep us from walking away without him at Petsmart. He is smart, tenacious, more than a little neurotic, and incredibly loving. His favorite things are snuggling on Mom’s lap, zooming around the living room or dog park at a speed that seems impossible for a dog his size, and playing with his sisters. He wants everyone know that tales of his destructive tendencies have been greatly exaggerated.
Tessa joined our family Valentine’s weekend, 2013. We had been searching for about a month to find a playmate for Charlie, largely because he was very anxious being left home by himself. We figured having another dog at home would help him, and we were right. We just didn’t know that Tessa would come to us carrying passengers. We nicknamed her the Puppy Bus when we discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to 8 puppies just 6 1/2 weeks after we adopted her. We fostered the puppies until they were 8 weeks old. Tessa’s babies were the first of our many fosters, and certainly the ones most dear to our hearts. Tessa was a terrific mom to her pups, and continues to mother many of the younger dogs we foster. She adores Charlie, her platonic life partner. She has a stubborn streak, but is also playful. Tessa has a deep love of bacon treats, wet dog food, and belly rubs, not necessarily in that order.
Tonks is our fluffy beast. She is the one of Tessa’s babies that we just couldn’t part with, and so we adopted her in June of 2013. She may not be the brightest one in our pack, but she is definitely the most cheerful. She loves to run and wrestle with Charlie. Like him, she can’t hold her licker. She barks like mad around new people (sometimes growling while licking them), but loves every dog she meets. She is the first one of our dogs we introduce to every one of our fosters, because she’s so patient and even-tempered with other dogs. Her DNA test came back hilariously mixed.
Ginny is the lone pure-breed in our pack. A pembroke Welsh corgi, she was dumped at the KCK Animal Control shelter in May of 2014, and rescued from there by Unleashed in June. Josh was working at the shelter at that time, and fell in love the second he saw her. She was heartworm positive, and her fur was overgrown and matted. When Amy went up to the shelter to see her, clumps of fur fell out with every touch. So she spent an hour and a half giving Ginny the brushing she deserved, and being rewarded with kisses and snuggles for her efforts–as well as a waste basket full of fur. Ginny took time to adjust to being in the pack. She was initially aggressive toward the other dogs, very protective of her food and her kennel, and fearful of many ordinary noises around the house. It took a lot of work, but now she gives kisses to her sisters and brother, and even attended the 2014 Corgi Gathering in Topeka, KS. She thoroughly disapproves of kids playing outside, of any animals making noises on tv, and of Mom or Dad working on their laptops when she wants to snuggle. She loves to roll on her back on the floor. She thinks Sporting KC should have a canine program, because she has serious natural soccer skills.
Amy and Josh are the leaders of this crazy pack. We foster through Unleashed Pet Rescue and Adoption in Mission, KS, and support many other rescue programs as well. We both have day jobs working in banking. Josh has worked part time at the shelter, so has gotten to know hundreds of dogs and helped many find their forever homes. Josh is a retired roller derby referee and Amy is a retired derby girl. Amy also writes novels. You can visit her writing blog at amyfahrer.wordpress.com.
3 Mutts and a Corgi 