Maddie Matters

Maddie was adopted July 2010.

She was our very first foster. I remember we were a bit weary to bring another dog in with our small (well we thought small until we met Maddie) young yorkie. We didnt want to disrupt and stress out his home. When we went to the shelter it was a whirl wind of dogs everywhere! How would we choose, how could we prevent getting a barker, etc etc... We walked a few dogs while we were there. Maddie was one of the few who was not in one of the cages stacked on top of the other cages. She got to roam around in the "office" area. We noticed that where ever my husband (6'3" 300lbs guy ) walked she would follow. If he went outside, she stood at the door waiting on him. Later on when we got her health check, we discovered she had cataracts in one eye and the other one had been damaged. In hindsight, we think Corey was the first thing she could see and follow as he was such a big guy. We scooped her up and brought her home. In the taxi back to the station she squealed like a pig! The taxi stopped three times before we got out of the drive way to make sure she was ok!!! I finally learned if I put my hand in her carrier this would console her enough to keep her quite and calm.

On the ride home, as long as I kept my hand in the kennel she was calm. On the train, we got looks as she stunk something fierce!

It took us a bit to find the right home. Of course, everyone loved her because of her toy size, but being a senior we knew she would need increasingly more vet care than a younger dog; therefore it was imperative to find a home who could afford this. We also saw how disrupting her daily pattern stressed her out. She liked routine and familiarity because this allowed her to function independently. She did not like relying on no one! But with her eyesight it was imperative to keep her daily life stable.

The adoption day came and we took her home to America during our vacation. She was perfectly behaved on the plane, and truth be told I snuck on my lap! Being so small it was too tempting--the older korean lady beside me loved my rebellion as she got to sneak bits of meat to Maddie.

We met her mom and dad and they instantly fell in love. We were blessed that her parents paid for all of her medical care while in foster care. She had to have all of her teeth removed (except one), her eye meds and a few other small things. In the end, her adoption fee/vet reimbursement was roughly $300 which covered all of her vet cost! This is always a blessing to any foster home.

Her old profile: http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3041&highlight=...

Maddie was a special girl, we still chat with her mom often. Sometimes it is easy to think that a tiny 13yr old can easily be overlooked and she is too old to be adopted. But even the seniors have a lot to offer, and I still say Maddie was the spunkiest pup we have fostered yet! So thankful for the shelter that kept her safe until we found her, thankful for Annie that encouraged us to visit Daejeon shelter (before my KAPS' days). And esp thankful for her mom and dad that saw a precious jewel and not an aged, lil-to-offer bundle.