(Ottawa Dog of the Week for August 3rd/09)
“Melly was surrendered to the Canadian Chihuahua Rescue and Transport (CCRT), a dog rescue group I co-founded 10 years ago, in July 2007 from the Ottawa Humane Society, where she came in as a stray. I picked her up and instantly fell in love with her – all 20 pounds of her! She was morbidly obese and needed to go on a diet big-time! She stayed with me for a few days until she could hitch a ride to her foster home in Elliot Lake, ON. Sadly, during those few days, my 14 year Chihuahua Newton passed away and I was devastated. It helped to have Melly with me and while I considered adopting her at the time, I was grieving so much for Newton that I thought it best to not make any big decisions.
Melly went to her foster home and was able to lose 6 pounds in just a couple of months (why can’t I do that?). I stayed in touch with her foster mom who sent me regular updates and photos – I fell more and more in love every day.
Finally, on October 11, 2007 (my birthday) I realized that I was ready for another dog and it had to be Melly. I officially adopted her and made the 7.5 hour one way drive to Elliot Lake to pick her up. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her – she looked sooo slim and trim. I returned to Ottawa the same day (yes, that’s 15 hours of driving in 1 day) and learned something about Melly I didn’t know – she is petrified of car rides. It was an interesting ride home, to say the least.
It’s been almost two years since I adopted Melly and I can’t imagine my life without her. She has lost another few pounds and while she remains a curvy gal, she is in much better shape now. She is such a clown that I tell people she ran away from the circus – she’s truly amusing! Like all dogs, her favourite things are walks and food, but she also enjoys curling up on the ottoman at my feet while I watch TV. She was housebroken pretty much from the moment she came to CCRT and even does tricks – it boggles my mind that such a well behaved, trained dog was not claimed at the Humane Society by her owners. They obviously loved her very much to take the time to train her – but their loss is most certainly my gain!
Melly is a great example of a wonderful, older dog in rescue that is just dying to be a part of a family. Hopefully her story will encourage people to consider adopting an older dog when they are looking to add to their furry family.” – Melly’s Mom, Nathalie
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Liz Bradley is a dog lover who lives in Ottawa, Ontario with her husband,