Today is National Rescue Dog Day and I wanted to celebrate some of my favorite rescue pups. I grew up not really having pets, we randomly got fish when I was in high school and then as I was headed off to grad school my folks adopted a dog. I spent some time with him before the move and then when I later moved home he and I would hang out. Now that I am moved and married I have my own animal family members, most of which are rescues and deserve some praise.

If you have been here long enough you might know my folks’ dog already. His name is Bennett and he was adopted from the local humane society from where my folks live. He had originally been a runaway that the dog warden constantly picked up and held until the owner would come collect him. Eventually they had picked him up so many times that they told the owner we are neutering your dog because he is constantly loose and if you want him back you have to pay us. They refused and he was held by the warden. They then transferred him to the humane society, which is good because you don’t typically get the chance to adopt direct from the pound. He was at the humane society when we happened to be looking for a dog. My sister had really wanted a dog and my parents had agreed. Bennett was at the time named Ledger and people kept mistaking him for a puppy even though he was 3 or 4 years old at the time. No one was really sure. He happily lives with my folks and currently also my sister eating carrots, going on walks, and riding in the car.

Now for my own rescue pup story. You may have seen him on my Instagram or Twitter, Bruni. Krista had mentioned wanting me to raise a puppy and we had been trying to find a rescue with puppies, which is not common. We considered adopting an older dog, but at the time had Lilly, who was already and older dog and we knew would be a great influence on a puppy. She had already raised her younger sister so she was a pro in the world of puppies. We randomly came across a listing for four cattle dog mutt puppies who had been rescued from an Amish farm. They had been found in a box and the person who dropped them off had taken them from the side of the road. There was a jar to leave money to buy the puppies and she did. The four were then set up for adoption and something called a puppy raffle happened. It is apparently super hard to actually get picked, but we wound up with the option to adopt Bruni, who at the time was named Goblin. We brought him home and realized he was a bit of a wild thing. He loved Lilly and would hangout with her around, but definitely wanted to run and play. We had a big yard at the time and he could get outdoor time, but he would get a bit destructive.

We recently learned he is mostly Cattle Dog and Border Collie, though there is some German Shepherd in there and somehow that is what he looks the most like. He even is the size of a Shepherd. There have been some ups and downs, mostly because he digs and chews when he gets bored and happened to destroy a swimming pool right before we moved, which was not fun to deal with. He though is a giant love bug and will do anything for pets and alone time with someone. We are working with him to get him less nervous and enjoy time without getting destructive. Krista and I love him and while he may have resulted in some big fixes he is still sweet and I am very glad that we have him in our lives.

Keep an eye out for more dog pics in the coming days because now I have an excuse to post most of my camera roll. The other rescues in our house are cats. The very large Oliver and the Amish twins Binx and Bane. Share your own rescue stories in the comments or on Twitter.

Share your thoughts in the comments or reach out to us on Twitter, @kleffnotes, Instagram, kleffgoeverafter, or find older content on my blog, kleffnotes.wordpress.com, or YouTube, @kleffnotes.