Meet Pumpkin

I've been waiting two months to share our big news, but I wanted to wait until it was official. Let me start at the beginning.

In January, Skyler started researching dogs. I've never been a dog person, plus Skyler is allergic to most dogs and all cats, so I figured that his search would go nowhere. During the next week or so, he was telling me about types of dogs that he thought he wouldn't be allergic to and what would be good dogs for us. The search narrowed down to Vizslas and Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

From this point, we started researching rescue groups, since we knew we wouldn't be able to afford a purebred dog nor would we be able to take care of a puppy. We came across a rescue group called Southern California Vizsla Rescue. We applied to adopt a dog. From what the website said, there a lot of people who want to adopt and not enough dogs to fill those needs. We had high hopes, but weren't really sure what to expect.

After contacting the group, we found out that being foster parents would be an easier way to adopt a dog. We had to go through a pretty rigorous process of filling out paperwork, getting questioned, and having our house checked. We passed the test and within two weeks we got a call that a 2-year old female Vizsla needed a foster home. On March 9 we met Pumpkin (who was actually 14 months, not 2 years old). Pumpkin came from a family where the parents were getting divorced. Neither parent wanted to take her and she spent a lot of time locked in her crate. When we first saw Pumpkin, she was shaking. She was so scared. We soon learned that Pumpkin had not been exposed to much. She was scared of people (especially men), scared of trucks, scared of trains, scared of loud noises, and scared of other dogs. She shook during the entire car ride home. Each new person she saw in the next week, she was scared of.

She became very attached to us, though. She loved to give us bear hugs. She would jump up on us, put her arms around our waist, and just stay there. She was definitely happy to have people around her that loved her and took good care of her. It took a few weeks of learning, but we finally started to get a schedule going. She stopped going to the bathroom in the house, she learned to not be so afraid of new people, and she LOVES the dog park.

Last Saturday we signed the paperwork. We officially went from being foster parents to being real dog owners. Pumpkin is all ours!

Before I met Pumpkin, I had never seen or heard of Vizslas before. Vizslas are hunting dogs, originally from Hungary. Imagine Skyler in dog form, that's a Vizsla. Vizslas are very, very athletic dogs (which was a big draw for us). Each day Pumpkin gets a trip to the dog park and accompanies one of us during our workout. Pumpkin runs with me three times a week, usually around 10 miles each time. Skyler takes her trail running and has even started bringing her along on his morning bike rides (she trails behind his bike). We are currently working on her swimming skills. Vizslas want to be next to their people at all times. They are not backyard dogs and are often referred to as Velcro dogs. The one thing I've learned that I love about her is how happy she is to see me every time I come home from work. Even more fun is watching her wait for Skyler to come home. She loves him a lot.

So that's it...we have a dog. Contrary to popular belief, Pumpkin is not a substitute for anything (or anyone). The next time you see us we will probably be talking about Pumpkin's amazing speed or her bathroom schedule, but I guess that's what dog people do.












You can find more info about fostering and adopting Vizslas on the rescue website: Southern California Vizsla Rescue. There are rescue groups for every type of dog out there. If you are thinking about getting a dog, consider a rescue group or an animal shelter. There are lots of good dogs that need good homes.