Patricio

Many know him as ‘Patricio’ but we call him ‘Ivan’. It all began with a determination to learn how to pronounce the word ‘Xoloitzcuintli.’ After many internet searches I fell in love with the idea of owning a hairless dog but couldn’t find one while my husband and I lived in Arizona. In 2015 we moved back to our hometown in Michigan. I hadn’t given up on the idea of finding a hairless dog when I came across Patricio on the Naked K-9 website. His caretaker, Suzanne, informed me that he is not a Xolo but a Peruvian Inca Orchid (less fun to say but STILL very cool). I went to meet him in Lansing and while I don’t know how much he cared for me—I liked him a lot. Over the next couple of months, my husband and I bought a house with a lovely backyard and when things got settled he came to live with me, my husband and our three other rescued ‘children’. I’ve met many dogs but never one with as many quirks as Ivan. He is such a character and keeps us laughing. His intelligence is astounding and he frequently uses it against us. We grow closer to Ivan every day as he learns to trust us. I’m not sure what his life was like in Peru but we do all we can to give him a beautiful life now. My husband and I have forgotten what life was like before a 50 lb naked dog slept between us every night and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pinky

(Now called Luna)"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect." I always loved this line, ever since the first time I heard Luna Lovegood say it in Harry Potter "Order of the Phoenix" (*movie, not book...HP nerd trivia, she never said it in the book!) I understood it on a new level and different way after I met this little dog... That's why I had to name her Luna Lovegood If she could talk, I think this quote is the first thing she would've said to me. The unexpected quality of it all is what really got me. I wasn't looking for anyone or anything. I had recently arrived at a place of (kinda sorta) peace with all the losses we endured last year. I can honestly say, I didn't find her at all, she found me (with a little help from Naked K9 rescue!) This is also a reminder of how quickly things can change... We always focus on the shocking or upsetting changes and losses and tend to forget that rarely, if we stay open to it and have hope, life can send some incredible gifts our way. My heart was very closed off just until this past January...but I let it open just a sliver, and this one found it. For the past 14 months I've had a tough time believing that anything "magical" would ever happen in my life again, but I just had a fuzzy few pounds of magic find me... So I guess another quote fits my past week well (also HP) “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Pearl

Foster Mom's story: Pearl was an owner surrender in a backyard breeder situation. She had a litter of 5 puppies but had stopped caring for them. When the call came on September 1st, 2014 asking for someone to come and get her, I went right away to pick her up. The breeder had a history of selling dogs & puppies on a buy/sell/trade site on Facebook and also at Gibraltar Trade Center nearby--the kind of place where they sell guns & knives & have flea markets. I was uneasy removing her from the puppies but the breeder wanted her gone. She had been bottle feeding the puppies and had another mama that was nursing them as well. It turned out to be a very good decision as I discovered fairly quickly the reason she was not nursing the puppies. She had Pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus that would have killed her without an emergency spay. Pearl was deathly ill when I took her to the emergency vet in the middle of the night but she was able to get the treatment needed to save her life thanks to rescue. I know she would not have received the treatment she needed and would not have survived if she had stayed with the breeder. To be continued...watch for part 2 this afternoon and learn about Pearl life in her adopted family'™s home!Segment 2 of Pearl's story Forever Family's story: I realized in the first month of fostering her that Pearl was meant to stay with me. I had already been fostering for 2 years and I knew the pain of letting a foster go to a new home but this time was different. She had me completely by the heart. I could not fathom her leaving me. Pearl became what we lovingly refer to as a ˜foster failure by the end of October! So far she is my one & only but I am working on ˜failing a second time! Pearl has blossomed into a happy, healthy, active, athletic & very loving dog. She has a huge personality. She is loving her life as a treasured pet. Pearl is a natural mommy dog to the new fosters that come into our home. I know she would have been a fantastic momma to her own puppies had she been healthy. I enrolled her in Barn Hunt as she has a strong prey drive. She is obsessed with squirrels and rabbits, anything small & fuzzy that moves really! I know she would also like lure coursing. I hope to try it with her. She is very intelligent and needs to keep her mind occupied. My husband says she is one of the most loving dogs we have ever had and he is right! Her world has changed and she truly appreciates us every day!