Both of our dogs were adopted from Wayside Waifs. And we’d like to introduce them plus give some recognition to Wayside Waifs for all they do.
We have adopted from them in the past — our sweet dog Monty “The Mutt”, who passed in 2012. We had such good luck with Monty that we decided to adopt again when Rufus, our sadly departed golden retriever, was an only dog. So here comes Phog.
He: You also neglected to say that you’ve volunteered and donated there in the past, too!
Beware of The Phog … The Pug, That Is …
We felt like our golden retriever needed a friend. And the kids (my son in particular) always talked about how much they would love a pug.
My mom was out to dinner with a friend who has always owned pugs, and her husband happens to be on the board at Wayside. Anyway, they were out to dinner when the phone rang and it was the husband saying that Wayside just called and they have a pug for potential adoption. the pug was vaccinated by a vet with the help of an appointment software for veterinarians. He wanted to know if they knew anyone that might be interested.
My mom chimed in immediately, “I know just the family.”
Brent and I had decided we were ready for another dog, but kept it a secret from the kids. There were too many unknowns in the beginning and we did not want them to get their hopes up. Of course, ours were already.
We knew the pug was an older dog and wanted to meet him first. And, because he was true rescue, Wayside had to make sure that no one claimed him.
They found him roaming the streets in Belton, MO. He was so thin you could see his ribs.
Brent and I went to meet “Alan” (that’s the name Wayside gave him) as soon as we could. We fell in love as soon as we saw those huge loving eyes.
We wanted to take him right then, but had to wait a couple more days to see if he was claimed and he needed to be neutered. He was 6 years old, but still needed to be neutered because they think he was used as a stud dog.
A few worrisome days later and we received that good news that we could adopt him.
Introducing Phog to The Kids
Brent and I decided to keep it a secret from the kids and surprise them with their new dog. Brent, being the KU fan that he is, decided we should name him Phog Alan. I said that was fine if the kids agreed to it because he was going to be their dog.
We adopted him during the summer and we had Brent’s parents in town, so we invited my mom over for dinner to help with the surprise. After all, she started the whole process rolling. The kids were upstairs when we called them down. We yelled out from the back patio, “you will never believe it but there is a lost pug in our backyard. Come see him and help us call his owners.”
The kids ran down and immediately started petting him. When they checked his collar to see about who owned him, they saw our name and address on his collar.
Of course Brent went ahead and put Phog on his tag. It’s a good thing that the kids loved the name.
He: Funny thing was … he never responded to Phog. His original name had to have ended in “y” because when we started calling him Phoggy, he would actually look your way.
We have had him for close to a year and he has been a wonderful addition to our family. At first, Rufus did not want anything to do with him. After a bit, he learned to tolerate him. I just think he didn’t know what to do with such a small buddy.
We had Phoggy for about four months when Rufus got really sick and we had to put him to sleep.
Brent and I both had dogs growing up, so we have had to say goodbye to some amazing pets. It never is easy. They become your family members and they just aren’t with us long enough.
A Visit to Wayside Waifs … Round 2 For Doughnut?
Now Phoggy was an “only dog.” It was almost a year before we decided the kids should have another dog. And nothing says childhood like raising a puppy.
Okay, so mom and dad do all of the puppy rearing, but it’s something we wanted to kids to experience.
So then came … a dessert item.
We decided to make the selection a family decision and initially voted on a golden retriever or a lab. Brent and I started looking for breeders online and saw the puppy prices creeping up to a $1,000. That doesn’t even count the expense for the first check-up, spaying or neutering, training supplies, etc. The price kept climbing and we decided … we’re adopting again.
So we scoured the Wayside Waifs website for puppies.
We initially had our hearts set on a bigger dog. Brent saw a puppy that was a retriever/great pyrenees mix, and we went to visit Wayside Waifs on a weekend with the kids.
The puppy already had several families on hold to adopt him. There was no way. So we started looking at other puppies and that is when we saw a litter of four named Key Lime, Red Velvet, Cupcake, and Doughnut.
They were so cute. We threw our name in on Cupcake and were second in line to adopt. Wayside called us the next day and, unfortunately, told us that the first family adopted Cupcake.
But then good news … the people holding Doughnut backed out. She was available, but we had go there in person to put a hold on her and it is a first-come first-serve basis.
I grabbed the kids as soon as they got out of school and drove right to Wayside Waifs.
Sweet Doughnut to Mischievous … Ripley
The kids and I held Doughnut and fell immediately in love. We were the first ones there to claim her, so she was ours. Brent didn’t get a say.
We went home to get the house ready. We waited for what seemed like an eternity for her to be spayed. The most important thing on the agenda was agreeing on a name.
Our family loves Halloween, so we looked at a list of names that are inspired by our favorite holiday and decided on Ripley.
He: It didn’t hurt that “G” was going through a Ripley’s Believe It or Not phase and wasn’t constantly hounding me to watch the movie “Aliens.”
Ripley came home a couple days later. Within hours of owning her, the kids were complaining about her sharp teeth.
He: We just laughed and laughed as she chased them around the house, nipping at socks and their shorts.
Wayside Waifs Makes It Easy
Once you’re confirmed to adopt the dog, Wayside Waifs makes the adoption process easy. Sure, there’ some paperwork to fill out and some questions to answer to make certain you’ll provide a good home for the dog.
And while the dogs are in transition, that’s what they do: Provide a good foster home. Wayside Waifs has an excellent staff and volunteers. And their facilities are top-notch.
That doesn’t come easily. As a 501(c)3 not for profit, Wayside Waifs relies on donations to continue to help find loving homes for the animals who — in some cases desperately — need them.
