A Hearts United for Animals Success Story

Suzi-q, Stinker, The Queen are just a few of the names we use to refer to our dog, Suzi. We adopted her about 6 years ago (as of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade) from Hearts United for Animals. We were living in Baltimore at the time and desperately needed a dog to fill the void left in our lives after the tragic death of Annie (our first girl). Annie was special, 4 tough paws to fill. Having two elderly cats, we decided we decided a small dog would be prudent. Trish fortuitously stumbled on the HUA website and found a picture of a dachshund-like bundle of energy. Getting a dog from the internet . . . odd but Suzi seemed like a charmer. We eagerly inquired. Carol Wheeler cautioned us that Suze was a handful and wanted to know if we were up for the challenge. We made our decision quickly. We were used to animals that had problems with house training (we haven't had many carpets in any of our homes) and Annie, our first dog, was a Jack Russel mix - so we figured we could handle a nervous, high-energy dog and invited her to stay.
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Our new girl with Trish received at Reagan National.	Suze isn't exactly disciplined when it comes to the furniture.	She likes it under Trish's sweatshirt.
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This is our girl staying over a friends.	Suzi pursuing one of her hobbies . . . potato chips.	It's a good thing the hibachi gets charred before each use.
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Lee Wheeler packaged her up and sent her to Reagan National. The handlers were great but Suzi was terrified. We put a leash and collar on her and off we went - so we thought. She didn't know how to walk on a leash! It was like trying to walk a cat. We picked her up, brought her to the truck and harnessed her to the middle of the bench seat of my pickup truck. She was still terrified from the trip. On the way home, we stopped for hamburgers. Suzi thought this was great: Trish had to hold the bag of burgers over her head until we got home. After we got home, Trish kept a close eye on her for several days. Suzi pretended that she had no idea what dog food was. And we didn't think she knew how to bark. All that changed. Gradually Suzi became comfortable and then some. The current pecking order in our home (from Suzi's perspective) is: Trish > Suzi > Dave > Eliot > Davey >Vlad (the last 3 are cats) ATTITUDE. Suzi is all about dominance. You're either alpha or you're on your back and belly-up. She usually has a scab on her nose because she forgets one of the cats has claws. She sleeps in our bed, in the center, under the covers and often takes Dave's pillow by the morning. The bed is very much hers. HABITS. The daily walk. Because Trish and I work and Suzi has a small bladder, she gets walked by either of two young ladies (Toni Sits Pets here in Columbus) each day around noon. She loves them very much. The nightly pee. Almost every night for the past seven years, between the hours of 2 and 5 am, she needs to go out and pee, which we oblige her. We figure it's good practice to be up every night for the new baby arriving in April. We laugh when people ask if we'll still keep the dog when the baby shows up. Obviously, these are not dog people. The nightly treat. Each night the stinker gets some treat after dinner, usually a pigs ear. Bad habits. Suzi was never perfectly house-trained. She is capable of greater bathroom control than she lets on. When it's cold, she fancies a poop in the basement. When Trish and I get frivolous and decide to put down a rug, Suzi quickly breaks it in. We suspect the carpet feels pretty good on her privates. We only buy rugs we can launder. We've also become pretty good at finishing floors. FOOD. Suzi lives for food. She jumps and spins like circus dog each and every dinnertime. Unfortunately, she's not too discriminating. One time I tossed a greasy dish towel on the floor in the laundry area. Suzi carefully nibbled out the grease-soaked portion of the towel. 18 hours and $600 later, the towel was removed by endoscopic surgery - she was still hungry after the operation. Suzi lives for food. TRAVELIN' DOG. Suze has traveled. She started out in Nebraska. Flew to DC. Has traveled to the coast of Maryland camping with us in Point Lookout. She's visited Lafayette, Indiana (home of Purdue University where Trish and I met). She's even visited family in Revere, Massachusetts and hung out by the pool on Park Ave. She then accompanied us on a rocky migration west from Baltimore to our home in Columbus, OH. Before the trip, Suzi swiped a few fresh hot-roasted cashews (about 1/4 lb) that I bought for Trish and managed to get colitis. Our first day in Columbus included a trip to the vet. She was fine, but Trish was a little frazzled. She still loves cashews. IN CONCLUSION. Trish and I are dog people and Suzi is a BIG part of our lives. We owe a lot to Hearts United. We hoped sharing this reflection would encourage others to take the plunge and adopt that special companion and hopefully from HUA.