The Best Things in Life: Adopt a Shelter Dog

Benji
Photo by Uncle Mike

Some of the best things in my life were free;  some weren't.  There was a small cash outlay for acquiring one of my most precious relationships.

I was just going along with some friends who planned to adopt a shelter puppy.   Risa and Bill had made elaborate and detailed plans for a canine addition to their living arrangements.  I had no such plans and was truly just going along for the ride.  But there was this gangly German Shepherd Doberman Pinscher mixed puppy and the tag on his cage gave him less than a week before he was a goner.  I had no business having a dog right then.  Afterall, I was a fulltime KU student living in an apartment of an old Victorian house. 

However, something about this pup grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go.  I called those poor folks at the Lawrence Humane Society every day.  At the "midnight hour" there I was adopting this lovable, goofy, smart-as-awhip 3 month old pup.  My life would never be the same.  What a character he was and what adventures we had.  A three time cancer survivor and amputee, my dog Benji lived to the ripe old age of 14. 

It turned out that this was one of the best things I ever did in my life.  If you're thinking about adding a puppy or dog, you have lots of options.  Visit your local animal shelter first.