Dog's Name While at the Shelter
Sarge

Date of Adoption
5/8/16

Pet's Story or Bio
Sarge (now named Bo-J) is between two and four years old, according to our veterinarian’s estimate. We adopted him on May 8, 2016 (Mother’s Day). Sarge was not our first pick for adoption because we did not yet know of M.A.M.A.S. We had lost a wonderful dog to brain cancer ten months prior to beginning a search for another dog. We started looking locally, but just did not find the right fit for our situation. We live in a retirement community and knew a mellow, well-behaved, quiet, no-barking dog would be the only way we could have a dog and stay in good graces with our neighbors.
Since we had not been successful locally, we started searching the Internet. We found a Golden Retriever/Labrador Retriever mix in a well respected shelter in Texas. We were so excited for her to become a new member of our home. She first needed surgery and would require several weeks to recuperate. We were willing to wait whatever time it took. Three weeks following her surgery, she began having seizures and we were told it was unlikely she would be able to tolerate the trip from Texas to Virginia without serious difficulty. We were in tears. She had already become our new best friend. We waited a couple weeks before beginning another search. This time we chose a shelter for Labrador Retrievers located in northern Virginia. Our hopes again were raised and then dashed when this dog, a female, was taken to the vet to be spayed and was discovered to be pregnant. Thank goodness we had not agreed to have the spaying done after we had taken ownership of her. Living in a retirement community with that situation could have caused great difficulties. By now three months had passed and we were really discouraged and thought maybe we should just not get another dog. But I needed a companion to take on my daily walks. So we began our Internet search again and came across the website of M.A.M.A.S. What a wonderful experience we had. Our contact person was Ruthie Rish and she felt she had the perfect match for our situation. She said we’d need to wait about three weeks before the dog could be released for adoption because of a leg injury, but we could begin by submitting an application for adoption. This we did and the rest is history. Bo-J was transported from Bamberg, SC to Manassas, VA on May 7, 2016 where we met him. It was love at first sight and he came home to Blacksburg, VA with us the next day.
Since adopting Sarge (Bo-J) I have taken him to twelve weeks of obedience training where he did so well. We had a DNA done on him. The results show that is
38% Beagle and 38% Tree Walker Coonhound with the remainder a mix of Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever, and other companion breeds. Bo-J’s favorite thing to do is go on long walks and we do that twice a day. He loves meeting people and especially other dogs. He gets so excited meeting other dogs that he just wiggles all over. I think I mis-named him. He should be called Wiggles. We bought a crate to have him travel in in our car and when we finished assembling it, Bo-J walked in as if to say “this is mine “. So we left it up and put it in a corner of a room and he goes into it frequently to rest or sleep. It seems to be his “cave”. We do not close him in it, he is free to use the crate whenever he wishes. So, we bought another crate for car rides where he is closed in. He accepted that crate well also.
Bo-J is a perfect match for us. We could not be happier. He is a well-loved dog that will live the remainder of his life with us. Thank you, Ruthie, for just knowing he was the dog for us. You were so right!