Boomer's Happy Tail—Every Dog Deserves a Second Chance (Part 2)

Part 1 of this article can be found in our June newsletter. Click here to read it.

We had a dog, Buddy, for 11 years. We rescued him from the Port Perry pound when he was a puppy, but we had to say goodbye to Buddy last October. At first, we all agreed not to get another dog. As time passed and the emptiness remained, though, our son Alan decided we needed to get another one. I decided to start looking at the pounds and shelters. We would never consider a store or a breeder! When I saw how many dogs are out there in need of good homes, I knew we had to get another dog.  

After briefly considering adopting from the Humane Society, I started looking at rescue organizations, and I found TAGS. The entire experience was amazing. TAGS wants to find the right homes for their rescues. The application process, home visits, adoption—everything—have been great. I cannot say enough about our positive experience with TAGS and how amazingly happy we are with Boomer, the dog we ultimately adopted—and the fact that Boomer is happy with us!

We met seven TAGS dogs, but our entire family felt a connection with Boomer right away. We requested a home visit that week, and that Saturday, we picked Boomer up for his weeklong extended visit with us. Within one day, we knew that Boomer was staying.
 

And Boomer stayed

We were a little concerned at first about “the incident” that caused Boomer to have to wear a muzzle at the dog park, and because we met Boomer inside, we never did see him play with other dogs. We didn’t get any scary vibe from Boomer, and we witnessed him meeting a couple of dogs for the first time that day, and he just wagged his tail. What drew us to Boomer was the fact that he is very smart and that he seemed to truly want to please his human companions. He walked well on a leash and knew the basics of sit, come, stay, and paw. The fact that he had been in a shelter for over a year just made us want him even more. This intelligent loving dog needed a home. 

During our extended visit, Boomer was very curious yet cautious about everything and everyone he saw.  He had clearly not had a lot of life experiences. The following Saturday, we officially adopted Boomer. 

Boomer in his new home

Since Boomer has been with us (five weeks now), he has settled in very well. Our 18-year-old son, Alan, and Boomer are now inseparable! Boomer will follow him anywhere anytime. We have had Boomer out visiting and we have had friends and dogs visit us, and we have had no issues with Boomer being “aggressive” in any situation! Boomer is a poster dog for second chances, in my opinion. Thanks to TAGS for rescuing Boomer and to Nick for working with Boomer and showing him that not all people are bad. Boomer has come to trust us now. It has taken some time, but I think he now knows he is truly HOME.

THANK YOU, TAGS!

Susan Griffiths 
Adopter of Boomer