Who Resecued Who?

My wife used to not be a dog person. The most used phrase was "I don't want something licking it's own butt, then licking me." She didn't like them at all. They were messy, got hair everywhere, and, well, licked themselves. I convinced her to go to the animal shelter and look at a dog we had seen on the evening news. We did, and we met Oreo (I guess you can see why the shelter called him that). We took him home with the agreement that for 2 weeks if anything happened and he wasn't going to work out we could bring him back. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, so I told myself not to get attached to the dog.

3 days later we called the shelter and told them that he was staying with us. We renamed him to Camacho, referencing President Camacho (nicknamed Macho) from the movie Idiocracy, and he became a part of the family.

Macho, according to one of the cheek swab DNA tests, is a mix of Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, Schipperke, with the fourth most likely breed in his DNA being Tibetan Mastif (wtf?). He is very loyal and uber protective, especially of his Momma. He is a tireless chaser of flies and other airborne insects, but insists that the Frisbee must touch the ground before he can "catch" it.

A year later we decided to visit the shelter again to see about a playmate for Macho. In the first kennel through the door we came across the mess that is Fizzy.

She is rambunctious, sassy, loud, crazy, and we wouldn't have it any other way. While her brother Macho doesn't seem very keen on catching flying objects other than insect, Fizzy goes all in. She has not problem launching herself through air in pursuit of a flying disk, stuffing her face in random holes while on a walk, or making her presence known by barking and hopping as we approach the ice cream shop (they have a special doggie ice cream that isn't rough on their stomachs).

Before any other breed comes to mind, Attention Hound is what she most resembles. She loves getting belly rubs, playing tug and shake with her favorite toys, Hedgehog and Piggy, and chasing her brother all over the back yard. About 8 weeks ago she had surgery for a torn doggie ACL, or cruciate ligament. She has been limited on activity since the injury and surgery, but she's recovering very well and her Vet says she is doing very well. She will be running and chasing again very soon!

According to her DNA profile, she is Lab, Australian Cattle Dog, Chinese Crested, and the fourth most likely is Tennessee Walker Coonhound.

We chose rescue dogs because there are always great dogs that need a real home. Both of them are mutts, and both me and my wife are completely fine with that. They bring an incredible amount of joy to our lives, and we hope we are doing the same for them. The Eureka Springs Bark Park is one of their favorite places to go and play with their friends. They get to walk around downtown and go into many of the shops. We get more recognized by being Macho and Fizzy's parents than we do by our names when we run into folks from our dog park. I'm okay with that.

If you are considering a pet, consider adopting from a shelter. There are always great animals needing great homes and people. You can make a major difference in their lives.

Thanks for reading about the tails (see what I did there?) of Macho and Fizzy. If you liked this story head on over to my blog @eurekaj to see more of my posts. And leave a comment. I would love to hear about the pets in your life!