Stanley (and Stella)

I've officially declared it a theme week here on the Rescue Dog Blog. What's the theme?  Literary characters.   Hey-I'm an English teacher ok?  I wish blogging paid the bills but it just doesn't cut it.  

Yesterday we had Huckleberry Finn as our rescue. Today I present to you. .  . Stanley.  As in Kowalski. As in A Streetcar Named Desire. 

 His shelter name was Conner, but when Niki brought him home to her other dog, Stella, she just couldn't pass up the chance to rename him.  Here he is when he was still at the pound:

Will you look at that face?  Poor Stanley was in the pound for about six months, put on "the list" and taken off again quite a few times. Just when it was almost too late a rescue organization called Big Hearts Little Paws in Scottsdale, Arizona saved him and put him in a foster home. 

 Niki wasn't looking for a second dog but when she saw Stanley's face on Facebook she knew he was destined to be part of their family. They were a little nervous about how he would fit in with Stella, who is in Niki's words, a "senior Diva,"  but take a look and see how that worked out.

Here's a very interesting fact. Stella is a pure-bred Chihuahua with a sticker price of $1200.  Just for fun Niki had Stanley DNA tested last month. The results came back 100% pure Chihuahua. No difference between him and Stella.  I really need to share this quote from Niki: "Since we have had Stanley, he has opened our eyes to how fantastic shelter dogs are. I can't imagine buying a pet from a pet store. Never!"  PLEASE please consider Niki's experience. You can be breed loyal and still rescue!  Niki cannot imagine their home without this guy:

He and Stella make a fabulous pair, although I think Stanley might have gotten into some happy pills here:

We are not quite finished with this story yet. Niki has opened her home as a foster mom, and it's a story worth hearing, but a story for another day.  Today just think about how Niki saved Stanley's life, how Stella got her groove back, and the fact that there are pure-bred dogs waiting for you in shelters all over the country.

What is your rescue story?  Share it with us, and share photos of your sleeping pets for next week's photo share!