By Mickey Dunaway | Reprinted with Permission by Currents Magazine | DEC 2024 | Cornelius, NC

Remember the song, Angels Among Us by the country group, Alabama? I have thought a lot about it over the last few days. Most of you know that we were asked by the breeder from whom we got Boomer if we would adopt Boomer’s mother, Chloe. It was Labor Day when Dawn brought her canine-daughter, Chloe, over to meet her new family. To this day, Sandy and I talk about we don’t know Dawn was able to let Chloe go. 

You see, Sandy has never had a pup who would, at every opportunity, jump up into her lap just to snuggle! All our dogs have been boys. All were too big to cuddle except our first Brittany, Boomer, and he early-on declared that he was “Dad’s dog.”  Something about that alpha-male pheromones, I guess.

Since Labor Day, 2019, a little Brittany has filled our house with joy, smiles, laughs, and lots and lots of snuggles. Even I get a cuddle every so often when Chloe hops up in my lap and ducks her head under my chin. I call this chin-sugar! Well… what would you call it?

Boomer early on declared himself “my dog” – not quite the angel that is his mother, Chloe, but like all canines, one of the Almighty’s most thoughtful creations. If you ever wonder if there “really are” angels among us, find a big or small, wet-tonged, four-legged wonder. Plop down on the floor or sofa and enjoy the love that these everyday-angels deliver without a thought of anything except to love and be loved in return. 

If that is not God-sent, I have no idea of what is!

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It is now 2024 and Chloe is now 14 and Boomer is 10. If you have ever given thought to adopting an older dog, but thought the negatives outweighed the positives, think again! The five years of companionship that Chloe has brought to us—and Boomer! — are worth every extra penny for dog food; double the cost of grooming and vet bills, and tick and flea protection.

Adopting Chloe also brought two new friends into our lives—Dawn and Mark Morris, the most ethical breeders one can imagine. I keep them up to date about Miss Chloe and how she’s aging, and Boomer whom I have written countless stories about as he is still the clown he was when he came into our lives at five months. He remains a 40-pound bundle of energy and curiosity when compared to Chloe’s Diva-like personality which she legitimately earned in conformation ring and in field trials championships.

I am personally not a shelter kind of dog owner, but I admire the people who find a companion through shelters. Local shelter in our area include:

My proclivities tend toward dogs who have pedigrees and positive tendencies genetically embedded. Their abilities to learn and learn quickly makes dog ownership so much easier.

If you are looking to adopt a pedigreed dog, search the internet for breed rescues. You will find facilities with excellent reputations and with dogs of many different ages.  If I were to want to rescue another Brit down the road, I might consider, the American Brittany Rescue at https://americanbrittanyrescue.org. Most every breed has a specific rescue organization to help you find the dog you desire.

However, you might have to drive a to another state to get to the shelter of the breed you love. It will be worth it.

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“The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.” – Andy Rooney