Did you know that, according to the ASPCA, approximately 6.5 million pets end up at animal shelters every year in the US? Of the 6.5 million pets, approximately 1.5 million of these animals are euthanized? I don’t know about you, but that is very sad! Luckily, there are many families out there that are willing to take these animals home with them. I am going to tell you about my family’s pet adoption story.

We live near a C.A.P. (Citizens for Animal Protection) facility in Katy, TX. Our sons love to visit and pet the animals that live there while waiting for adoption. One Friday night, we visited C.A.P. and were besot with an odd looking short little dog with pointy ears. She immediately took to my oldest son. So, we agreed to visit with her in a room to see if she liked us. Needless to say, she was going to be a part of our family whether I liked it or not! We went through the required interview process with the shelter. This included waiting on our landlord's blessing for us to adopt our new pet. We also agreed to have her spayed before allowing her to go to go home with us. We received a 9 month old Chiweenie (Chihuahua-Dachshund mix) for Valentine’s Day. Her name is Dixie Rose and she’s the apple of my husband’s eye.

The following year, our 11 year old Schnauzer passed away. We were not sure if we wanted another dog, yet, as we were mourning her loss. As per usual, my sons had us visiting C.A.P. to visit the animals. While there, we met another Chiweenie. C.A.P. had us bring over Dixie for a dog introduction. Needless to say, Dixie was not fond of this “new” dog. This dog was not responding well to my children, as well, so we did not take her home. So we kept looking.

As we were walking around the corner, I noticed this little girl cowering in her pen. I had to meet her! So, the staff let us visit with her outside and walk around with her. She bonded with my youngest son. We knew that we had to bring her home. So, we filled out the necessary paperwork and had our interview with the staff. We even met with a pet psychologist who coached us on how to introduce the two dogs together. Ellie Pearl, another Chiweenie mix, came home with us that day. Ellie is a mommy’s girl and Dixie’s best friend.

Our adoption stories had happy endings. Our Chiweenie girls love each other as well as are a big part of our family. Although we were sad that someone had given them up to a shelter, we are so thankful that we found them. We found that when you adopt from a shelter, we had to prove that we would be a stable home for these animals. Next time you are thinking about wanting a new pet, take a look at your local shelters. You never know what you will find- it might be your new best friend! Please make sure to review Camden's pet policies and speak with your community manager before bringing a new pet into your apartment home. Camden apartments are great places for our furry friends. Come and check us out!