Kermit and Honey's Adoption Stories

My friend Kari in San Francisco asked in the comments section where I got Honey and Kermit. I started to write a comment back, but it was too long of a story, and since animal rescue is a subject near and dear to my heart, here is the unabridged version of the adoptions of Kermit the Dog and Honey Bunny.

First of all, while I love dogs, I was primarily a cat person--they require a lot less upkeep and attention, and when it's rainy or snowy, you don't have to take them for walks. Kevin and I always wanted to get a dog, but we figured we would wait until we lived somewhere with a fenced-in yard and a mud room. We both had collies when we were little and just loved them, so we talked about some day adopting a dog from Collie Rescue. (It's amazing how many purebred dogs are given up by their owners--there are rescues all over the U.S. for just about any breed you can think of, and 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds as well. Mutts are wonderful too, but if you have your heart set on a particular breed, purebred rescues are great resources.)

Anyway, I volunteered at an animal shelter in upstate New York for several years. I helped with adoption fairs, P.R. events, photographing the animals for the website and coordinating the pet therapy program, where our shelter animals would visit nursing homes and adult day care facilities. One day, in October 2003, dog control brought this beautiful collie in to the shelter. He was found running loose and in terrible condition. He was 15 pounds underweight and so matted that his skin was starting to tear. His teeth were hollowed out, probably because he was kept in a cage and tried to escape by biting at the bars. He was a gorgeous purebred collie, probably about 2 or 3 years old at the time--someone paid a lot for him and then couldn't be bothered to meet even his most basic needs. A couple of weeks went by and no one reclaimed him, so I started taking him to pet therapy. I was sure one of the employees or visitors at the nursing home would fall in love with him and adopt him immediately, but surprisingly, no one did. Of course, I kept falling deeper in love with him every time I took him out. I told Kevin about the dog and he said, "What are you waiting for, let's adopt him!"

Kermit is wonderful, so good with other animals, although he is very naughty about getting into the fridge (and chasing moose!) After we adopted him and realized how much he loved other dogs, we decided to adopt a second dog to keep him company. I hoped that another collie or collie mix would come in to the shelter, and I also checked Central New York Collie Rescue's website. In July of 2004, I saw Honey's photo and just fell in love with her mischievous little face. Collie Rescue takes in dogs (mostly collies, but some other dogs too) who are in high-kill shelters in the south and midwest. Honey was less than 2 hours from being gassed in Ohio when she was pulled by the wonderful people at Collie Rescue. She was about 11 months old, mostly golden retriever with a little collie and beagle mixed in. I have no idea of what her background was, or why she was brought in to the shelter. I would guess it might be due to the fact that she was extremely hyper and destructive! During her first few months with us, she chewed the woodwork in our house, electrical cords, shoes and slippers, and anything else she could clamp her jaws around. Luckily, a lot of people who owned golden retrievers or Labrador retrievers reassured me that although they are incredibly naughty for the first 3 years of life, they do calm down eventually. Now, although she still has tons of energy, Honey has become a well adjusted and generally polite member of our household!

Even though we didn't have that fenced in yard when we adopted the dogs, I'm so glad we didn't hesitate. Dogs are a huge commitment, and the first few weeks with a new pet are very stressful, but Kermit and Honey have brought so much joy and laughter into our lives as well. (And without a fence, we were forced to take them on lots of walks--they helped Kevin lose quite a bit of weight. Sadly, I made sure that every calorie I burned with them was immediately replenished with chocolate--oops!) Our cats are all rescues as well, but I'll save their stories for another time.

I'm going to hop up on my soapbox for a moment. Approximately 6 million dogs and cats are euthanized in American shelters annually--there simply aren't enough homes for them all. The best long term solution is aggressive spay/neuter programs, so please support your community's efforts! And if you are considering a pet, please check out your local shelters and rescues instead of the local pet store. www.petfinder.com is a fantastic website to help you find an animal who desperately needs a home.

Okay, I'm done preaching, and I promise, more Norway stories tomorrow. We are going to the Birkebeinerrennet in the morning. We may have to ski in to the spectators' section, so we are bringing our skis and lots of coffee fortified with Bailey's Irish Cream. When I was in the U.S. I bought a green wig for Kevin to wear--he doesn't know about it yet, but hopefully he will be a good sport and celebrate St. Patrick's Day with green-haired abandon. I think as long as I keep the Bailey's flowing, there is a pretty good chance that he will!