Bijou -- After 15-1/2 years of marriage, five kids, two parakeets (who have since passed away -- sweet, funny little birds who gave us lots of nice memories) and a cat, we decided it was time for a dog. Tried to adopt through one shelter...didn't work out (the pups founds homes before we could meet them). Tried to adopt through another shelter, and before they could contact us back, we made a call to a different rescue two hours away about a little rough collie pup. Drove in torrential rain to an obscure little town where we found a rural farm out of which this particular family ran their rescue...Bijou was one of at least 20 dogs, several cows, horses, goats, ducks and cats held in a large barn. She ran out of the kennel gate, swirled around my legs in a frenzy and ran out onto the icy driveway. I thought I must be out of my mind to adopt such a nutty pup, then promptly did so.

She's so loveable and she's definitely the dog we needed to adopt! We're almost at her first birthday (11/1) and a few months from her first Gotcha Day (2/16).