I had wanted a dog ever since my family's dog, Vanilla, passed away at 18 years old. Vanilla was a mini poodle mutt with a pink nose, the sweetest dog in the world. He was so easy going, he let me use him as a horse for my dolls. So you can see how I would want another "Vanilla". Unfortunately, living in an apartment would not allow it. I chose to volunteer at the local SPCA to get my dog fix.
Fast forward to October 14, 2007. My husband and I have been living in a house for five months and I am chomping at the bit. We had a week off from work and I decided that it was time for us to adopt our dog. We went to the shelter and immediately Kirby and I saw each other. I took Kirby outside to "meet" him. My husband was checking out the dogs we were really interested in, according to the local SPCA website. As wonderful as these dogs were, I didn't feel the bond I felt immediately with Kirby.
Fast forward another 30 minutes and Kirby, a boxer mix, was legally ours. But just who was this "Kirby"? A woman we met at the local off-leash dog park said he looked like one of a litter of nine Hurricane Katrina puppies rescued by a local shelter. Since then, we have seen four other dogs that look just like our Kirby, so that very well could be his story.
Now, almost 1 1/2 years later, Kirby is a happy, healthy 3 year old who gets along with his 14 year old sister, Kitty, a cranky, diabetic cat who gets twice daily insulin shots. This makes us wonder. Maybe he really is a saint from New Orleans.
Cincinnati, OH
