In 2004, my beloved poodle, Rebel, died of Addison's Disease. I cared for him for nine years until the disease finally took a toll on him. I really felt the emptiness and I was crying my eyes out. The only thing I thought would help me fill the void was to get another dog. I looked on-line at a site called Petfinders and saw a white miniature poodle named Kerry. My husband thought it was too soon for me to get another dog and I went for a month of loneliness. True, I had my husband, but a dog gives you a unique friendship not found in the human world.

A month passed and I went on-line again to Petfinders and saw that Kerry's picture was still there. I wasn't sure that I wanted a white poodle. I wanted an apricot-red one just like Rebel. But I decided to call the animal shelter anyway and inquire if they still had Kerry. To my surprise, they did, and my husband and I went to the shelter. The attendant brought out a scruffy looking white dog. She said they found him wandering around outside in a field, and they picked him up and kept him in the shelter ever since. She said he was about a year and a half years old. The attendant washed and groomed him. Kerry was beautiful!

At first when we brought Kerry home, he was very high strung and distant to us. I patiently cared for him and after a few weeks or so, he came around and calmed down. He became a great pet and I'm glad I had given him that second look at Petfinders.

I sleep with two pillows and Kerry would come up on our bed and position himself on top of my pillows. I felt so special to have him choose to sleep with me there.

I was working and my husband stayed at home with Kerry. Then my husband got a job. I wanted Kerry to have a companion, so we went to a pet store and saw a toy apricot poodle on sale. We decided to buy him. I named him Angel and he was three months old. I had neglected Kerry somewhat in order to concentrate on training Angel. Since I never had a dog that small and cute, I continued to favor Angel a bit over Kerry, and Kerry became a little put off and aloof. He stopped coming up onto my pillows.

We noticed one of the dogs starting urinating in our apartment. I knew it was Angel, not Kerry, because Kerry was always so good. Then it hit me how I was giving more of my attention to Angel and not my devoted Kerry.

I changed my ways, corrected Angel's bad behavior and now I shower them both equally with love. Kerry now comes up onto my pillows again.

It goes to show you that an adopted dog is just as good or even better than the ones you buy in a pet store.