Cover Story

This is a story with a sad beginning but a very happy ending.

On September 29, 2009, we lost our “daughter”, Shaina, to a sudden heart attack. She was adopted from SafeHaven and was our constant companion for twelve years. As you can imagine, my wife, Lori, and I were distraught. We soon realized that the void in our lives could only be filled by another dog. But what dog? We wanted a Goldilocks dog: not too large, not too small but just right. So, we journeyed back to SafeHaven (the old site on Route 20) to find our new child.

As I wandered around the kennels, I spotted someone who looked just perfect. I knew that was the case when she woofed at me. I brought her out to show her to Lori who agreed that she might be the one. Upon investigation, we found out that Ash (Penny’s original name) had been found as a young stray. Unfortunately, her family had to put her up for adoption. Their loss was our gain. Penny was waiting to be adopted for about a year. We took her home for a few days and quickly realized that she could and would take Shaina’s place in our hearts. We then returned to SafeHaven and completed the adoption process on November 11, 2009. She was ours and we were hers.

Penny had found her “forever home”.

Penny immediately became a member of the family. As a matter of fact, we sometimes call her Bruce Springsteen because she is “the Boss”. She loves to play fetch with the ball and ride in the car. She is very adept at letting us know what she wants, be it food, a snack, go outside and play, or just a scratch. We have a morning routine. She gets belly scratches and I get kisses. If I do not wake up quickly enough, Penny will lick my face then whine and finally pull off the covers. Like I said, she gets her way. She knows that she is spoiled.

As she has aged, her eyesight is growing dim and her hearing is fading. She also is not as steady on her feet as she once was and usually needs assistance to get up on the furniture. No matter, she can still play with the ball. She will always be our baby. We cannot thank Chris, Osalyn, and the gang at SafeHaven enough. Two wonderful children have joined our family because of them.