Raising the Woof - About

June 30, 2009 -

I have always been a dog lover, and I recently took this to new
level by adopting two puppies within three months. Needless to
say, it's been a roller coaster ride of learning, loving and
licking.

When I first started working at PetSmart, I had a six-year old
husky mix named Auron. I felt that Auron needed a buddy, which
led to the introduction of Bruno. Unfortunately, Auron had to be
unexpectedly put down shortly after we adopted Bruno, due to a
seizure disorder. Since Bruno wasn't faring too well as an only
child, along came Molly.

Here's a rundown of the current cast of characters:

Bruno is a Border Collie mix who I adopted when he was 10 weeks
old. I found him at a rescue group in Scottsdale that was
advertising on petfinder.com. I use the term "rescue"
loosely. Bruno was indeed saved from Animal Control in Kingman,
AZ, but he was living amid 30 dogs in a dirty and unfriendly
environment.

The day that I went to see him, I didn't own a crate or puppy
food, and knew next to nothing about dogs this young, but I
sensed it was my job to save him. He was dehydrated and
malnourished, and refused to eat, but a week's worth of visits to
the vet got him back to normal fairly quickly. Today he's a
six-month old ball of energy who is generally too smart for his
own good.

We adopted Molly when she was nine months old and Bruno was six
months old. She's a Yellow Lab/Pit Bull mix we found at the
Humane Society. She'd been surrendered when her family had to
move to an apartment, and had only been at the shelter for a
week. Molly has a very mellow disposition and is the biggest
snuggler in the world. She is a perfect sister to Bruno and they
are inseparable partners in crime.

It took a few weeks to resolve some of the ailments Molly brought
home with her (kennel cough, poor coat, etc) but she's quickly
found a place in our hearts and on our couch. I've become a
self-proclaimed obsessive pet parent and my puppies are truly my
loves. Raising pound puppies is a never-ending adventure that has
taught me a great deal about myself and my dogs.

I'm Jessica and I work in Corporate Communications at PetSmart. I
love my job, and bringing my dogs to work is only one of the many
perks of working here. My blog will showcase some of my most
interesting, puzzling and comical experiences as a "new mom" with
two crazy kids.