The first thing you notice when you see Sadie’s APL intake picture is how beautiful she is. Sadie has a gorgeous golden-brown coat, with a sprinkling of white on her face. You also notice her soft, sad brown eyes.
Sadie is a 12- year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix. It is difficult to imagine what dogs like Sadie are thinking when they find themselves at the Cleveland APL. After so many years, perhaps their whole life, with one family, they find themselves alone in an unfamiliar place. And like so many others, the circumstances that led to her surrender had nothing to do with Sadie’s behavior; her owner was moving to an apartment, and could not take Sadie with him.
Sadie arrived at the APL in November 2014. Senior dogs typically have a longer stay at the APL than younger dogs. Just about everyone loves a furry, wiggly puppy; however, many people are reluctant to adopt an older companion. Maybe they fear the limited time they may have with an older canine friend. Or maybe they don’t realize that senior dogs like Sadie often are housetrained and know how to fit in with a family. Or that older dogs have learned things, like, for example, that shoes are not for chewing!
Sadie spent the entire winter at the APL. She went to a number of offsite adoption events to meet potential adopters. Sadie charmed everyone she met, but did not find a new home. She even spent a little time in foster care, getting some extra TLC and lots of exercise to help her lose weight and get in shape. Mostly, though, she waited.
Spring is a good time for new beginnings. And for lucky Sadie, spring brought Rachelle. Rachelle is one of those uncommon people who sees the beauty in the face of a senior. In fact, it was Sadie’s face, and her resemblance to Rachelle’s older dachshund, Gordon, who had passed away, that caught Rachelle’s eye. When she saw that face, Rachelle explains, she knew that Sadie would be hers.
Sadie would wait for a furever family no more! She not only got an amazing, loving mom in Rachelle, she got two canine “siblings,” and even two cats! Sadie was a bit anxious during those first nights in her new home, but Rachelle’s love and patience have prevailed. Sadie has adjusted well to her new family, and loves all of the children in Rachelle’s family, including her two children as well as her infant and a toddler-aged niece and nephew. In fact, Sadie is so loving and welcoming that Rachelle, when searching for a new name to go with Sadie’s new start, settled on “Mama Dog.”
Some people believe that dogs just get sweeter as they get older. Mama Dog’s life has gotten much sweeter, too, as she lives out her happily-ever-after!
Information about the Cleveland APL
To meet the adoptable animals at the Cleveland APL, visit our adoption center in Tremont at 1729 Willey Avenue in Cleveland or our PetSmart Charities® Everyday Adoption Center in the Parma PetSmart® store at 6870 Ridge Road. To view all of the animals who are waiting for loving homes online or on your mobile device, visit
www.ClevelandAPL.org or download our free adoptions app on your iOS or Android device.
Our Facebook page is called “Cleveland Animal Protective League”. Here is the link to it for your reference:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cleveland-Animal-Protective-League/29396512928
Our Twitter handle is
@ClevelandAPL. Here is a link:
https://twitter.com/ClevelandAPL