Lovable Dogs Change The Hearts And Minds Of People Against The Idea Of Adopting A Dog
Some of the best dog stories start with a hard no and end with a very different answer. That is exactly what happens in this Dogspotting Society challenge, where people shared the moment they swore they did not want a dog, only to fall for one anyway.
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The posts range from surprise rescues to family members who changed their minds after meeting the right pup. A few are funny, some are sentimental, and all of them show how quickly a dog can turn resistance into attachment. Read on.
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"Storm came to me one late night 10 years ago when a rescue I fostered for called needing an emergency foster..."
...I had been working exclusively with shepherds and knew nothing about huskies. Two fosters had already bailed on her, and they were in a pinch. “Take her home and keep her kenneled; she’ll probably try to eat your cats,” she said. “It’s only for one night, as we have an adopter lined up for her tomorrow,” she added. I’ve never felt a bond that was more instantaneous. I picked her up at 9:30 PM, and by 9 AM, I called them and told them to inform the waiting adopter whatever they needed to, but this dog was home. I wasn't looking for a dog, let alone a breed I knew nothing about. But I knew she was mine. In the ten years we had her, she welcomed many foster dogs (literally hundreds), along with a few cat and kitten fosters. She was perfect, and we made our way to get qualified and start therapy dog work, visiting hospitals, retirement homes, and teens in crisis. She brought joy to so many. “Dogs have an incredible ability to heal and connect with us emotionally,” says Dr. John Hattie, education researcher and advocate for emotional learning in schools, on his website visiblelearning.com. She didn't walk...she pranced. She hated dirt, grass, water...anything that would diminish her beautiful, plush fur. She never met a stranger. I can still hear her wooo-wooo. Thank you for reading and getting to know this gem. Part of my heart left with her. The dog I never asked for, and didn't know how much I needed. She passed last month at 15.5 years. She was indeed...magic.
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"My grandpa's dog had passed a few years back and he swore he wouldn't ever get or love another dog again..."
...Long story short... Delilah is now the love of his life, and they hold hands. As Dr. Susan David, an emotional agility expert, states, "The bond we form with our pets can profoundly impact our emotional well-being." For more insights on the emotional benefits of pet ownership, visit her professional website at susandavid.com.
“Fine, you can bottle feed, but you have to promise we are not keeping any of them... “
Meet Jasper, our first bottle baby and my husband's dachshund.
That promise did not last long.
"My ex told me we weren't having a dachshund when moving in together, knowing I'd grown up with them since I was 11."
So when he couldn't decide if he wanted to be with me or not, I decided I wasn't going to be just an option.
One month later, I got the house we were getting together, and my mum got me the best gift of my life.
My Ralph <3 I'd say I upgraded to a better bearded bloke! What do you guys think? Single and living my best life with my best friend.
"Mom: "What do you think about getting a new puppy?""
Dad: "Absolutely not!"
Mom: *goes and gets the pup anyway*
Dad: *comes home to said pup*
A few weeks later...
Mom: "What do you say we give him to the grandkids?"
Dad: "ABSOLUTELY NOT! He’s my little man!!"
"Six years ago, my husband went to the shelter and called asking if he could bring this guy home..."
...I was still pretty heartbroken after losing our last dog and wasn't ready yet, but he insisted. Those two were best buds immediately. My husband passed away suddenly four years ago, and even though he left behind his big, smelly dog, who doesn't believe in personal space at all, I'm so thankful to have him.
One trip to the shelter changed everything.
"Picture 1: My initial text to my husband. Picture 2: My husband meeting the found puppy..."
...Picture 3: My husband said, “I’ll just go get him a harness so we can walk him,” and came home with a Kong harness that I knew was not cheap because I had looked at it for my other dogs and thought, “Nah, too expensive.” (That’s when I knew we were keeping him.) Picture 4: Guess who Walker Delwood (that’s what my husband named him) loves more than anyone (even though I’m the one who stopped traffic and rescued him out of the middle of the road)? Yep. My husband. They’re BFFs. (I’m okay with it because I have two other dogs, and they love me the most.)
"When we got married, he was adamant about not having dogs ever..."
...I begged and begged, and he agreed that I adopt a GSD puppy from the shelter. That was the beginning. Fast forward 31 years later, we had over 40 dogs together, currently 22 of them still with us. And hubby is the biggest sucker when it comes to our doggie babies.
"I was 22 years old and working as a veterinary technician..."
...It’s not that I didn’t want a dog, but I had no intention of getting one at this point in my life. A breeder client, whose dogs I absolutely loved, had a litter, and 2 out of 11 pups were born with cleft palates, another with a cleft lip. They tried their best with all three special needs babies; unfortunately, the two cleft palate pups didn’t make it. The third little runt puppy started to thrive after a few weeks of being tube-fed and bottle-fed. They even did surgery to try to repair her cleft lip. Unfortunately, the stitches didn’t hold, so she came in to have them taken out. At the point of this puppy’s appointment (also a vet check for the whole litter), the clinic was very busy, and the doctor asked me to take this puppy to the back to remove her stitches—everyone else was busy, so I had to do this alone without someone to restrain her. I decided to sit down, and I put the little puppy on her back in my lap. The biggest, sweetest brown eyes just stared up at me; her legs flopped to the side, and she just laid there as calm as could be while I removed several stitches from her face. It was love at first sight; I knew in that instant I needed this particular dog in my life, and she had to be mine. The breeders agreed, and a couple of days (what felt like an eternity) later, I brought home my baby girl. The little cleft lip runt went on to not only outgrow many of her littermates but also lived the longest. I lost my Penelope last year after 9.5 years. She was the best thing that ever happened to me, and she will forever be my heart dog.
That stance did not survive the right dog.
This is similar to the married couple where the wife bonded fast, but the husband wanted to send the shelter dog back.
"Me: "Let’s go to the pound and check out some rescues just to pass the time""
Him: "No, because you're going to want to come home with a dog, and we already have three..."
Me: "No, not at all. I just want to look" [picks up puppy]
Me: "Can we get this one?"
Him: "Step away from the puppy, Stacy"
Me: "Wait! Let’s talk about this for a minute"
Him: "Come on, we can always come back if we decide we want to get him" [turns around and heads towards the door]
Me: "But what if he’s not here when we get back..."
Him: "Seriously right now!? Is it going to make you happy?"
And BAM! The first photo was taken of Dad holding his new best friend. As you can see, my husband was absolutely thrilled. Okay, not really, lol.
Now these two are inseparable, and no one wants to hang out with me, lol.
"Don't you think four dogs is too much?!"
As you can see, he clearly still feels like a fourth dog is excessive. He even calls her "Princess Cutie Pie."
"It's not that I didn't want a dog; I just wasn't ready..."
...I was in a fairly new relationship, and my life was just beginning to settle down. Then one day at work, I got the phone call... "Jen, you know the one-eared Doberman puppy I told you about? She needs a home, and you are the only person I know who could raise her well. They need to get rid of her ASAP, and the second option isn't looking good." I explained that with work, etc., and my small flat, I wouldn't be good enough, but within a couple of hours, I was convinced. "Okay, I'll foster her and find her forever home; I'm not ready for the commitment." One hour in, the little devil bit like mad, scratched, and tore apart everything in her path. I knew, "No one will be mad enough to take this dog on." Six months later, my engagement collapsed. With my work, my money, and my small space, I had to find her a better home. I rang my friend, crying. "Jen, you and your home are all she has ever known. You are the best place for her." Two months later, he broke in with a knife and attacked us. She defended me. I knew, no matter what, I had to stick by her like she did by me. We worked so hard on her behavior. I halved my hours, I learned to budget, and now, two years on, almost to the day, she is still here, by my side, my best friend, and the best thing to have ever happened to me. With persistence, she turned into the sweetest, most loving lap dog. I'm grateful for her every single day.
"I didn't want ANOTHER dog."
We had a new baby and two older dogs to care for, and I didn't want another dog... My cousin told me about a puppy that needed training help (I'm a dog trainer). The owners said their new puppy was aggressive, manic, and they called her a 'devil dog.' I suspected that this was just a normal puppy doing normal puppy biting. The story started to unravel—puppy was being kept in a crate, no one was playing with her, she was having food and water withheld, she was peeing a lot, and she was eating her own poop. The owners had started to really neglect the puppy, and they didn't want her anymore. Cut to me picking up a three-month-old puppy from the airport, a little underweight, very friendly but a little scared, and bringing her home. To say it was busy would be an understatement. This puppy needed extra help to learn good manners; potty training was a challenge, and I had a six-month-old baby at the same time. I thought to myself, what have I done? I was tired, frustrated, and overwhelmed. That is just all a fuzzy memory now. We have a beautiful, loving, silly, fluffy dog who is my daughter's playmate and best friend.
That sounds familiar to a lot of dog owners.
“I don’t want to adopt a senior dog. She’ll break our heart one day soon.”
He even made me take her back and was livid when I ended up bringing her home a second time. It took a while, but the laughs she created in the home replaced the feelings he had before. She broke our hearts on 9/4/20. If you ask my boyfriend, he’d say he wouldn’t trade those two years with her. We would do it all over again. He’s going to kill me when he sees this, though. Rest in peace, Ms. B.
"Husband before: “Listen, if the dog barks like crazy, sh**s in the house, or destroys things, we are bringing him back” "
Husband now: “Wrap him in a blanket; he’s cold!!!” (Honestly, I think he would pick Thanos over me, his wife!)
"Me: I’ll always have at least one dog."
Future husband: I’m really more of a cat person, but you do you. Me: I’m going to start fostering dogs, in addition to the three we have. Husband: fine, but I’m not getting involved. Me: I have a post-op foster. She’s very sick; I don’t know if she’ll survive. She’ll probably be with us for a couple of months while we rehab her for adoption. Husband: don’t get attached. Me: she’s cardiac stable & cancer-free and ready for adoption! Husband: you’re not giving away my dog!
In the end, the dogs won every time.
Want the bonding tips behind Storm’s instant connection, like when owners build lasting trust patiently? Read how dog owners use patience to form lasting bonds.
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