By a wonderful stroke of luck, my husband and I ran into Rafael Cabrera and Bill Rock of Casita Big Dog Rescue at the Bass Tournament last September in Inverness. We both liked a dog Bill had there named Rocky. Bill did us a big favor and explained that Rocky was a high energy dog and probably would not be a good match for us. He suggested we to talk to Rafael about a dog he had that day named Mindy. Rafael explained that Mindy was an American Dingo also known as a Carolina Singer and that her energy level was better suited to our life-style. Mindy met all of the criteria I wanted in the right dog for us. Plus Rafael and Bill had spent hours working with her so she walked well on a leash, didn't jump up on people, was house broken and non-destructive, she was crate-trained, and very well behaved and extremely intelligent.
We liked Mindy, but didn't want to jump into anything that required so much commitment, responsibility and life-style change so we went home and did our homework on the breed and their characteristics. Mindy checked out. In fact, we were fascinated by the amazing history of the American Dingo. I couldn't wait until Tuesday to call Rafael and see if Mindy was still available for adoption.
She was. We all agreed that Rafael would bring her to our house for a couple of visits to see how well we all got along together. E Harmony couldn't have made a better match. Rafael explained the initial transition and how to relate to Mindy. He spent hours educating us about crating, pack mentality, discipline and much more. He immediately taught Mindy to stay out of my tiny kitchen and to follow commands and parameters to make the transition as smooth as possible. We had no idea there was so much that we didn't know about living with a dog and developing a mutually respectful relationship.
Today, we're one happy family. Blaze won't give us a break until we exercise her so she's doing her job as personal trainer. My husband has recovered and looks forward to our walks together at the dog park.
Blaze came to us when we needed her and is a wonderful addition to our family. We're ever-grateful to Rafael, Bill and Casita Big Dog Rescue for seeing the potential in Blaze and saving her life, rehabilitating her, educating us, and as a result, extending our lives and making us all so happy.
To watch Mindy's adoption, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pJSQHPLlrzc