Roland’s Dog Rescue Story:
Roland was the rescue that we almost gave up on! Meaning all the paperwork, vet records, the list goes on for what we had to provide to the Dog Rescue (Orphan Annie’s) he came from! And, I cannot forget the FEAR I had after initiating the process until adoption day. The entire process seemed like an eternity but in reality it was only a week. I even tried to adopt a different dog or maybe two that day!
Before Meeting Roland
Our Last Rescue Attempt FAILED! After adopting Birdie, we had a botched rescue dog attempt with an older stray dog “Re-Named” Wilma (that was definitely NOT her name) — who we just were not ready for, since fostering and adopting was still a new thing. And the Shelter she was in the care of let her fall through the cracks. Oh Wilma if we had known what we know now, you would have been part of the pack! But, over time not adopting Wilma made us sad and we had since been looking for another dog to help rescue.
And if you have NEVER been to the humane society or an animal shelter to walk through let me just say it is a heartbreaking thing. I wish we had space to adopt all of them or at least a bigger one, because they seem to be the most unwanted ones! The first and last time we did this I left in tears because the staff at these places sometimes I think do NOT care! These animals are at their mercy, trapped in a cage, can’t let themselves out, and have no idea why they are in there. So, that didn’t work out for us.
We even accidentally ended up adopting a cat! Because every time I heard about a new dog rescue event we would try to attend. Yet, the strangest thing about pet adoption events is that most of them don’t even have any animals there in person or ready to go home. You are told to put in an application and wait by the phone!
So I’m just being real when I say that is a HUGE turn-off when you’re in the mood to adopt a new fur baby and make it part of the crew, but it becomes a long game of jumping through hoops. Needless to say, the last time we attended an animal adoption event looking for a dog, we came home with a new set of paws but instead, it was our Cat Johnny who we refer to as our Cat Dog!
The First Day Meeting Roland…
Eventually, we found Roland! I do not think we ever see a dog and feel 100% that is the one, at least not yet! There is always this feeling of OMG I’m not sure, or even Oh no what did I just do! But, I have a little song I sing to Roland about “how one day I was just strolling by, saw this guy, and decided to say hi” — if you only knew that he was in a cage, hidden way in the back where no one could see him.
The day we met Roland, we were LOOKING for another dog and decided to attend one of the dog-related events downtown in Atlanta, GA. All I remember was seeing on the news that there would be dogs available for adoption and begged my Boyfriend to let us go. We packed up the dogs and took them downtown to walk around, but who knew we were about to meet a new member of our crew!
Roland was dressed in a Superman Cape, sitting alone in a cage. His foster parents had brought him down so people could see him, but I’m not sure how many people actually did! We even waited around for an hour to meet them, since he was just hanging out with the people who ran the organization. But, as soon as we left, we were online putting in an application for him!
We Almost Decided NOT to Adopt & Rescue Roland
We almost left Roland Behind… Like I mentioned before adopting from a rescue vs an animal shelter seems to not only cost more in money but also in time, paperwork, patience, you name it… Again we almost gave up on rescuing Roland because all the vet records and list of requirements were not as easy as I personally think they should’ve been.
And even after putting in all the application and paperwork, there is a chance the rescue might NOT choose you! So, I prefer animal shelters for that reason, although I am not opposed to going through dog rescues too. It’s just that one way is Quicker than the other, with less hassle for the most part. But of course, this all depends on the shelter, the people, the rescue — they are all ran differently with their own set of requirements.
So that week which felt like forever, I started to get cold feet, tired of waiting, and started looking for other dogs to adopt. I even applied for one online! I couldn’t help it he looked just like Birdie, but thankfully he made it out since someone must have adopted him! I was crying the day we got Roland not even sure if I was going to like him, and dreaming about the Birdie Doppelgänger that got away!
After Rescuing Roland
Rescuing Roland was such a blessing. He is like the son we never had. He cries like a baby and it has been fun to see him come out of his shell. When we got Roland he was STIFF as a board, scared of life, eating paper and cat poop. The list is endless of what that little guy has put us through! But, I would NOT change a thing, he is SO CUTE!
He even has an alter ego we didn’t know about where he goes from a whiny little baby into his waiting-to-attack mode! We call him Roland vs Rolando De Guzman! Plus, he and Birdie are the best of friends, or should I say, siblings!
Roland’s Back Story:
You might be asking yourself this or curious to know WHY Roland ended up needing to be rescued? It also plays a HUGE role into his personality now, his mannerisms, what he likes and doesn’t, etc…
Roland was a true RESCUE and who knew until we met him his life was lived in a cage with SEVERAL other small dogs. COVERED in POOP! True story this is WHY we love to rescue! He actually came from a HOARDING house with over 28 other dogs!
It was nice to see some of the other dogs being adopted the next week when we finally got to do our meet and greet on adoption day! We saw a few other dogs that looked like him. Presumably his other siblings. Either way, we did do a Dog DNA Test (via Wisdom Panel) on Roland and found out he has a few relatives living close by next to him! So eventually one day they might can find each other and reunite as a family!
The rest is history! It took a few weeks, months, RV Trips, and more to warm up, but Roland is our little boy! You can Meet Roland here!
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