Haruuuuuuki!

Somebody got a dog!!!!

It's Haruki, aka Tula:

You might remember her from such films as:http://nikkicookskale.blogspot.com/2012/05/hula-tula.html 

I walked "Tula" at the Humane Society several times last week and slowly became more and more attached to her. Luckily, I was able to persuade the bf that she is the perfect dog for us, so now we are "Fostering to Adopt" her. That means that we get to keep her for a week or a few weeks, after which time we can return her to the shelter if it's really not working out.

But how could this not work out???!!

She's squinting.

We had a tense moment earlier today when we were approached by an unleashed dog while out walking, but other than that she already feels like part of our family! Barring any ridiculously bad behavior or unbearable circumstances, I'd say there's no chance we are taking her back to the shelter.

Which brings me to my next point, which is shelters in general. The bf and I have been discussing dogs for awhile in anticipation of getting one. Since I volunteer at the Humane Society, there was never any question about where we'd get our dog, though I know that a lot of people still prefer to get "purebred" dogs from breeders. The bf is very much against this, as there are so many really good puppies and dogs just sitting in the shelter waiting for homes. He even thinks that breeding dogs for money should be outlawed or restricted.

I'm reluctant to go that far, but I can say that my happiness at having Haruki here is quadrupled because I know that our decision to adopt her means that we are making a really good dog's life better.

My evidence:

She has ears just like mine.

*What's your take on breeding/rescuing dogs? Anyone else think it's weird when you ask someone where they got their dog and they say, "Oh we rescued her--she's a rescue dog." Um...sorry, unless you pulled her out of a burning freaking car then you didn't "rescue" her. Saved her from a long "dirt nap," maybe, yes.

P.S. More on why we are calling her "Haruki" rather than "Tula" tomorrow!