The Story of How We Got Boone
If you follow along on Instagram, then you already know Boone. If you're new around here - meet Boone, our English Bulldog.
Boone was a long time coming... I'm not sure when exactly my obsession with English Bulldogs began, but once it was there, it was strong. Since we started dating, Nathan always knew I wanted an English Bulldog... he would tag me in memes, videos, pictures - all of clumsy, adorable, bulldogs. After we got married, we brought up getting a dog a handful of times but ultimately, we both wanted to wait until we had a house, with a fenced in yard and didn't live on the 4th floor of an apartment building. You feel me?
Fast forward to buying a house in June of 2017. Once we felt "settled" we started talking about getting a dog again... I knew there were so many "English Bulldog Rescues" out there and honestly... we didn't want to pay $4,000 for a puppy from a breeder. (and yes, English Bulldog puppies are EXPENSIVE).
I started looking into rescuing a bulldog, but let me know tell you - it's not that easy; especially with English Bulldogs. There are special rescues dedicated solely to the English Bulldog breed. You apply, then they need to vet you, they ask you 500+ questions about your knowledge of the breed and their issues... they ask you about your personal life... if you're thinking of having kids, you can't even think of adopting half their dogs. It was a little ridiculous and to say I was frustrated with that process is an understatement. I had put in so much research about the breed, talked to people who currently owned the breed, etc. I was well informed. At one point I thought "just give me the dog, I want to give that dog a home!"
Sometime in November of that year, I did something (in hindsight) pretty dumb... I looked on Craigslist. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS. Again, I do not recommend this, because there are so many scams for puppies on Craigslist. It worked out for us, but I have heard horror stories.
I had been looking on Craigslist religiously for a week or so, but one day at work, I came across a listing about rehoming a 6 month old English Bulldog. There were two pictures of the dog and a phone number to text or call. So, without even asking Nathan, I texted the number (hah!) After texting back and forth with this woman about the dog and why they were rehoming him, I felt pretty confidant it was not a scam. She said her two year old son had developed very bad allergies to him, she had all his papers and they were still asking for a hefty rehoming fee... because they paid a pretty penny for him.... my previous point.
It was a Friday night and I came home and told Nathan all about it - showed him the pictures and explained the situation to him. The lady said we could pick him up that weekend! I was beaming at this point, full of excitement... but Nathan was not 100% on board yet. My favorite part of the story... Nathan asks, "so, what's his name?" ……. guys. I hadn't even asked the lady his name yet! That's how excited I was. Well, it was Boone, we never changed it because we loved it as soon as we heard it.
That evening, I continued to text message the woman and we even negotiated his price down... in the end, we always say we did not mind paying for him. The family gave us all his toys, his food bowls, his crate, his bed and.... he was potty trained! I would have paid for the potty training alone.
The next morning the lady texted me saying they couldn't drive to meet us, as we planned, and we would have to come to them. I vividly remember laying in bed and convincing Nathan to drive.... the three hour round trip, to go get this dog. We also didn't have any way of getting cash because it was Veterans Day weekend. All the banks were closed (or so I remember), so we had to figure out how we were going to pay these people. Finally, after we figured out all the logistics, Nathan said okay, let's go get him!
The kicker is we had friends coming in from out of town that day... staying with us. They were supposed to be at our house in two hours. So, I casually texted them saying, "we're going to get a dog, here's our garage code, be back later." (hah!) My friend was like "um, what?!"
So, here we are... driving to get a bulldog, my dreams finally coming true. I was beyond nervous though... I mean, could we be walking into a scam still? There was no certain way to tell. Plus, they lived in a very rural area, corn fields everywhere and their house was basically in the middle of nowhere. When we pulled into their driveway, Nathan and I both looked at each other a little uneasy - but we proceeded. Thinking back, I think we were crazy, but oh well.
The next moments I will honestly never forget. We walked up to the house and Boone came running out of the house... so many butt wiggles! They invited us in, we sat at their kitchen table and Boone kept jumping on me and wanted me to pet him the entire time. The lady gave us all his papers, explained everything we needed to know, we paid her and everyone walked out to our car.
The sad part... as we were loading him into the car, their oldest daughter started crying. (my heart seriously broke). I guess it was "her" dog and they ended up having to get rid of him because of her little brother's allergies. It was a weird feeling because I felt terrible for taking him, but so happy to finally have a dog. Since I had the mom's phone number, I texted them photos of Boone throughout the first year we had him, including on his first birthday. The mom even sent me some of his puppy pictures!! Puppy Boone...
We literally told no one that we were going to get a dog that day... just our friends that were headed to our house. It all happened so quickly, we never really had time to get anyone else’s opinion or tell anyone. So, once Boone was in the car, we snapped this photo of him and sent it to our families - "meet the newest member!" Everyone was pretty shocked - rightfully so. This picture was taken after we took him to PetSmart for some new toys and a new bed... of course. He was spoiled from the beginning.
When we first brought him home, you could tell it was an adjustment for him and that he clearly missed his "family". He wouldn't sit with us on the couch and at one point, I told Nathan that I was scared Boone would never cuddle with me. Hah! As you probably know... Boone is THE cuddliest dog and literally whines when I don't let him lay on me. This is the first time Boone finally laid on me and I was ecstatic! (and he was so little!)
Now, we've had Boone for two years and almost everyday we say "what did we do before we had Boone?" It sounds silly, but he brings so much joy and laughter to our lives. I never had dogs growing up, so I never knew the "love of a dog" - but now I know... and it's a special one.
In the honor of rescuing or adopting a dog, versus purchasing from a breeder - here are links to some of my favorite small shop dog brands that give back to dogs in need and my favorite English Bulldog Rescues
Here are some other brands that give back to dogs.... and you probably
didn't even know!
Lush Cosmetics: Buy from their "Charity Pot" Line & it will support the Beagle Freedom Project (a rescue operation that saves dogs from lab testing)
Amazon: Use the AmazonSmile Program & hand select what rescue or charity to give back to with your Amazon purchase.
Vans: Repeatedly collaborates with the ASPCA
Clif Bar: Known for their dog-friendly office policy & they encourage employees to volunteer at shelters and rescues on company time!
Ben & Jerry's: Also known for their dog-friendly office policy! They use their “Free Cone” days as adoption events!
Tito's Vodka: Yet another company that encourages dogs in the work environment! Based in Austin, TX they work directly with a local vet healthcare initiative.
Bissell: Have their own foundation; The Bissell Pet Foundation. For every Bissell purchase, a donation is made to the foundation.
Talk soon,
Kay
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