The Final Tallulah Post

The day has finally come and gone. I didn't think it would be this hard to say goodbye to a little puppy that I only spent three weeks with - but it has been. Tallulah was adopted today by what appears to be a great family with a little boy who called her his best friend.

I found out yesterday that I needed to take her to the outreach so her new owners could pick her up. I spent yesterday in Tulsa for work but rushed home to spend what little time I had left with her. I woke up early Saturday morning and got really sad. I played all morning in the backyard with her and then when it was time to come inside, she just laid down out in the yard. It was almost like she knew what was coming.

I loaded her up only to find out she no longer fit in the crate we originally brought her home in only three weeks earlier. Yes, she's huge. So we rode together to Ryan's work to say goodbye and it was off to PetSmart. I felt the knot in my throat getting bigger.

I take her in and we walk around the store as the volunteers get set up. Everyone complimented how cute she was meanwhile I didn't have the heart to tell them she wasn't mine. Not much longer at least.

I decided I couldn't stay with her until her new family arrived. It broke my heart to see her in that crate and naive to what her future held. So I left her in the very capable and loving hands of my friend and volunteer extraordinaire, Alisha. I open her crate one last time as she comes bounding out to jump in my lap and kiss my face I tell her that I love her and I will never forget her.

I walk out with my aviator sunglasses masking the tears. Tallulah was adopted at 1 p.m.

As I sit here writing this I think to myself (three Kleenexes later), do I have some sort of separation anxiety problem? Is fostering really for me? Can I go through this again? And the answer is, I don't know. I believe in the mission of the Humane Society and I know I'm ultimately helping save an animals life but jeez this sucks. I'm sure we will foster again because it has been such an amazing experience. That little dog helped me through a really difficult time and I love her for that.

Here are some final photos of our first foster dog, Tallulah.

Jude's Homecoming

This post is way overdue. My good pals Sunny and Micah recently adopted a beautiful baby boy from Korea and they named him Jude. They were nice enough to include many of us in their process of adoption - which was amazing at times and tolling at others. All in all, my eyes were opened to the miracle that is adoption. Here are some photos from the day they arrived at the airport with Jude. I was joined by 50 or so of their closest friends.

Cute kiddos coming down the elevator in matching "be(love)ed" shirts.

Family waiting on their arrival.

One of my favorite little guys holding up a sign for Jude.

And then they were here.

Family photo - together at last.

oh Tallulah

We have had Tallulah almost a full week now! Poor Ryan had to take care of Lulah Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday all by himself since I was in Chicago. When I got home he was no longer calling her Tallulah, but now, her name was el diablo. Apparently, she had been a handful. I secretly thought it was funny. She's a puppy. Puppies are a lot of work and that's part of the deal. But I am glad that I'm home now to help out. I'm definitely becoming more attached to her but I know we will have to give her up soon. So I'm just trying to cram as much love and smarts into her.

She LOVES dog toys. And thank goodness we have a ton of them! She literally gets them all out of the basket and rolls around on the floor from one toy to the other. It's really quite cute.

That's me and my big baby. I love holding her because I know she won't be able to be held for much longer. She such a cuddler!

Tallulah is not afraid to express herself. Poor Dax and Darbi have been so patient with little Lulah as she chews on them.

tallulah take two

Today we had so much fun with Tallulah. Dax and Darbi woke us up at their normal time, 7 a.m. and I think both, Ryan and I were nervous to find out what Tallulah had done in her crate overnight. To our surprise, Tallulah didn't have any accidents in her crate! And she didn't eat her blanket either which was an added bonus. This little dog is just amazing.


Since it was such a beautiful day, we all spent a lot of time outside. I read about 200 pages of Twilight while the girls played. Dax of course wanted to play fetch. Darbi just wanted some lovin'. Tallulah ran and ran and ran. She chased Dax as fast as her little legs would run.

And then she did this.

Traning update: Tallulah only had one pee pee accident in the house today (and it was on the tile)! That means she pooped outside 3 times and peed about, oh 16 times. The poor little thing can't hold her bladder very long. But we give her treats after each potty and praise her. I really feel like she'll be potty trained in no time. She also walks on a leash very good. Next step - training her to sit.

the tail of tallulah

You guessed it! Ryan and I are officially fostering our first dog with the Oklahoma Humane Society. I first saw a photo of this puppy while it was in the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter. How could we say no?


We picked the puppy up Saturday afternoon and brought her home to meet Dax and Darbi. Both of the girls were very curious about this new little fluff ball we call, Tallulah.

Tallulah is a 7-8 week old St. Bernard/Collie mix. She has the face of a Collie but the size of a St. Bernard. She is so sweet and so fluffy, she will be the perfect addition to any family (looking for a massive puppy).




Our first day with Tallulah has been a great one. She is a typical puppy - very lovable, playful and adorable. She took several naps throughout the day and played very hard in the backyard with Dax and Darbi. We love Tallulah very much and are looking forward to the 14-day quarantine period we have with her to love on her and hopefully at the end, she will go to a loving home.

I've been adopted

A couple of months ago a friend of mine was looking to adopt a cat so I recommended we check out the Oklahoma Humane Society Adoption Center because it was close to our work. We went and checked it out and I was immediately hooked. The volunteers were so helpful, the animals were well-kept and the place was so clean!

I played with a few of the animals and knew this was an organization that I wanted to be a part of. I asked one of the workers how I could get involved and she put me in touch with the volunteer coordinator. I went to volunteer orientation and the rest is history. I've worked two adoption outreaches at PetSmart and now Ryan and I are looking into fostering some puppies. (Which I'm sure will lead to many more posts.)

Today was a very special day for me because unlike our first outreach, all three of the dogs we had were adopted! It was amazing to see all the dogs go to wonderful families. It's such a great experience.

That is my buddy Alisha who is an animal whisperer. Alisha and I had several college classes together - who knew we not only had a love for journalism but also animals. I call her the animal whisperer. She has such a sweet spirit the animals immediate take to her.

This particular dog, Sadie, was at her first outreach so she was nervous, and rightfully so. A beautiful three-year-old Collie mix, we hoped she would be adopted but feared her timid personality would shy away potential families. A wonderful couple was immediately drawn to Sadie. They spent a great deal of time with her, asking great questions and sharing stories of their pets. Then they left and said they would be back in an hour for her. Our leader said, I hope they come back for her as people often say they'll return but never come back. Our hopes for little Sadie were fading. Then, the couple called PetSmart said to hold Sadie, they definitely want her! Alisha had the honor of putting the "I've been adopted" sign on her crate. It gave me chills and made my day. (Stop laughing.)


There are dogs like Sadie every day. If you're interested in buying a new pet, please consider adoption. There are so many great dogs out there. Or, if you're interested in volunteering at the Oklahoma Humane Society with me and Alisha, let me know. Or visit their Web site at http://okhumane.org/ and Amy, the volunteer coordinator, will take care of you.

old friends bringing in the New Year

Cheers! Last night Ryan and I went to Shannon and Toby's house to bring in the New Year with some of our best buddies: the Andersons, the Kershs and the Mannins. It was a fun night filled with girl talk, boy talk (sports), yummy food, fondue, old stories, jokes and of course watching the kids (all six of them) make us laugh.

the lairds

my awesome friends

i love him

creed and tatum enjoying some chocolate fondue

tatum shared her cell phone makeup with me and Sunny - how nice!

all the kiddos lined up for the countdown

i love their faces in this one