Part of my job is to talk to people about all my dogs and help them figure out if a particular dog is going to be a good match for their family. I've been corresponding with a family and I thought I'd share part of it because...well, I don't know why exactly, I think I just really like talking about my dogs.

The person I was talking to asked me if they should wait for our Adoption Event this weekend when HALO will be temporarily reducing our adoption fees. They liked the idea of saving money but they were worried that someone else would adopt the dog and they would miss out.

I'm glad you were able to meet Chance. A few people have come in to see Chance but no one has followed up with me on their visit, which is fine; when adopters visit us and don't feel like they find the right match we always encourage them to try some of our no-kill partners.

I have a soft spot for Chance. He'd been listed as a stray dog at Maricopa County Animal Care and Control and he'd probably been on his own for quite a while. He was so thin and weak for the first few days we didn't think he was going to make it. The staff here monitored him throughout the day, feeding him a liquid diet of puppy milk formula and wet dog food, and giving him subcutaneous fluids to fight his dehydration. We took blood samples and ran laboratory tests to make sure he wasn't fighting a chronic illness. It was a long road to recovery for our boy and seeing his big goofy smile every day is one of the many things I look forward to every day when I come into work.

What I'm getting at is that I'm sort of biased. On average, the costs we incur to rescue a dog is almost $400. That's an average, of course; some dogs are almost healthy and just need a short treatment of antibiotics to be good as new. Then we have guys like Chance who need that special care and attention.

If you feel that Chance belongs in your family, then I would advise not to wait. You will miss out on some savings, but you know that money will go right into the next dog we rescue after Chance goes home and we have another space in our shelter.

I appreciate the time and effort you are putting into making your decision. It is a big decision and I am always happy when a family is as considerate as you all have been. Remember that we are always rescuing dogs and in my personal experience I find a dog I want to adopt at least once a week.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

Thanks,

Gurg