People Finder: How dogs find their people Text by Emily K. Alberts
There are more than 400 recognized dog breeds in the world. Working dogs, sporting dogs, herding dogs – terriers, hounds and toys … the varieties seem endless. If you have fallen in love with a particular breed of dog, there is likely one out there for you, desperately in need of a home. For those who prefer the “adopt don’t shop” approach, in the United States alone there are more than 450 American Kennel Club (AKC) Rescue Network groups. Lab Rescue of the LRCP [lab-rescue.org] finds loving homes for nearly 1,000 Labs each year in Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and North Carolina. Over the past decade, animal lover M.C. Johnson has adopted 16 Labs. “I have been married 40 years, and no matter where my husband and I have lived, we made sure it was a good dog property -- and later horse
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and donkey property, as we started an informal sanctuary for senior and/or ill horses.” A common reason for pet surrender is moving to a home that is not suitable for pets, so the Johnsons were wise to make this a priority. The couple has had as many as six dogs (plus fosters) at a time, and some doubted their sanity when they bought a river cottage for a foster they adopted. “He had a degenerative neurological disease and was confined to a wheelchair, but we found out he loved the water, so we bought a house with easy access to water.” They typically adopt older dogs. “Seniors really grow your heart,” she says. For the most part, they are fairly easygoing. “If someone relinquishes a seat on the couch with the human, they aren’t about to get into a dust-up over it. If another dog takes their toy or preferred dog bed, they
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