 Pet Pals For Life PO Box 173 Sioux Falls, SD 57101 |
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PET PALS FOR LIFE |
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Pets Adopted From Pet Pals For Life Will Be Spayed Or Neutered
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MISS SONJA RAE
I
first met Sonja on June 30, 1999.
She had been seized by our local humane society on an issue
of cruelty – left tied to a jeep by her tail in a rain and
lighting storm, starving and pregnant with 9 puppies.
After she gave birth to her puppies at the shelter a generous
volunteer fostered her and the puppies on their property until the
puppies were ready to be weaned.
The foster volunteer then returned Sonja and her puppies to
the shelter. That
volunteer, who is a customer at Heart of the Vine, told me about
Sonja because she was aware of my love for shepherds. Five
and a half years prior to that time I had lost the pet love of my
life – Nitska, a shepherd/lab whom I had taken in as a puppy of
five weeks and who lived to be 15 years old.
I had vowed never again to become that involved with an
animal because of the heart wrenching loss and agony incurred when I
lost Nitska. But I
decided to just “look” and walk this beautiful white shepherd
after the customer indicated she needed to find a good home.
I didn’t take her home the first time, but rather went back
the next day, visited her again in her shelter cage, and decided it
was time to let another pet enter my life.
That was July 2, 1999. It
was the first time I had ever visited the humane society and was
absolutely shocked to find such beautiful animals waiting to find
loving homes. Sonja
wasn’t her name at the time I adopted her.
There were three names on the adoption papers, and since no
one was sure which was her correct one, I decided this beautiful
creature needed a different name.
So one of my employees helped me choose a new name.
Miss Sonja Rae seemed a perfect choice since I am of part
Norwegian descent and my middle name is Rae.
The new name seemed to fit her perfectly, and with the high
intelligence characteristic of shepherds, Sonja knew her new name
quickly and responded to it in a matter of days. When
I first brought Sonja home, she didn’t seem to know what grass was
and seemed very unsure that she would be able to stay in this new
home. For the first
three months she was extremely quiet and would lie across the room
from me, almost as if she felt it was not her place to
‘intrude’. I did
trust Sonja from the beginning, however, to remain alone in my home
for a few hours when I went to work and she was always trustworthy
– never destructive and perfectly housetrained. That was three years ago and Miss Sonja Rae is a transformed creature. Only 44 pounds when she first entered my life, Sonja is now a healthy 80 pounds with a beautiful, healthy white coat trimmed with characteristic black markings on her back. She loves people, and dogs, and children, and even the UPS driver!! She also opens her lips just enough to expose a smile when asking for treats or greeting people. Sonja
is the reason I decided to actively become involved with finding
homes for loving, deserving pets who are placed in shelters.
It is so sad that thousands of
beautiful, adoptable pets do not find homes and are destroyed
– not because they are sick or vicious – but because there is
simply ‘no more space’. So
with the assistance of two good friends, Sandy and Susan, we hope to
make a difference in our community.
Please join us in this urgent cause so that our newly adopted
organization, PETS FOR LIFE, will have an impact.
Sonja Rae, and all the other rescued pets, say “Thank
You”. Sharon Rae
Webmaster: Sharon Rae www.heartofthevine.com
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADOPT US?
MIA IS ADOPTED
JACK IS ADOPTED
VALENTINE - "I have beautiful green eyes and a lovely coat"
PEPPER -"I have come such a long way"
COWBOY AND RODEO - "We are nice orange tabbies looking for a new home" TO ADOPT ANY OF OUR PETS, CLICK ON THE ADOPT A PET, THEN ADOPT A DOG OR ADOPT A CAT PAGE ~~~~~~~~
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PET PALS FOR LIFE EXISTS To speak for pets unable to speak for themselves To reduce the unwanted pet population by spaying & neutering To provide a link for homneless, unwanted and rescued pets so they are rehomed into loving homes |
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Sioux Falls
Community Foundation |