I wanted a dog, I had always wanted a dog. Not having any pets growing up, all I knew is that they were a huge responsibility. But I didn't know that a debate was about to come my way about whether to go the pet store and pick
out the cutest pup, which is what I naively always thought I would do, or if I should take on the challenge and satisfaction of rescuing a dog who was unfortunate enough to end up in the city pound. Luckily, I had a friend in college who educated and convinced me that taking a stroll through the pound could quite possibly change my life.

This friend is a huge advocate for saving animals lives. At the time, she worked in a kennel and quite often opened her own home to foster dogs.

So be it. I went to the pound, one of the saddest places in the world. As I walked through all the aisles, the smell was awful and the noise disturbing. All dogs were barking as if to be screaming 'get me out of here!'. Except one.

There she was, sitting in the back of the cage. A boxer/pitbull mix, brindle, big brown eyes, a head way too big to be supported by her emaciated body. I kneeled down and she moved towards me, I seriously fell in love. She was my dog.

Next step? Go find out how to bring her home with me! I had no idea what was ahead of me, once again.

After much inquiring this is what I find out:

1. The room that I found her in was NOT a room that was up for adoption. It was a room that dogs sit in for 7 days while being checked over to make sure they are in good health. If they were, only then did they go the adoption room, still only for another 7 days. If they were not adopted they were euthanized. SAD! Heres the thing, the dog that I wanted was not even going to make it to the adoption room, good health or not. She was part pitbull and apparently the city pound does not adopt dogs with any pit in them to the public. This is to avoid the dogs getting in the hands of people who want to fight them. Ok, but what about the people who want to love them?

2. The only way to get a pit bull out of the city pound was to find a shelter to adopt them first and then you can adopt them from the shelter.

Well, time was running low, literally. This dog I wanted so badly was on their list to be euthanized that night! (No kidding, I felt like I was in a movie) I didn't know what to do! I called my friend who so strongly advised me to come to the pound in the first place.

I really believe that people come and go in your life for a reason, without this friend and Catherine Hedges none of the following would have happened.

Being that my friend worked in a kennel, she called her boss to see if she had any friends that could help me. Sure enough, her boss knew Catherine. She agreed to get Aleeah from the pound as long as my friend could foster her until my adoption papers went through. I was unable to pick her up from the pound myself and my friend was at work. Down to the last couple hours, phone calls were made and help was offered. Another friend who worked at the same kennel offered to pick her up with the permission of Catherine.

Needless to say, it's beyond a happy ending. Aleeah is seriously one of the sweetest animals I have ever met in my life. She has such a docile demeanor and all she cares about is loving and being loved. Its truly heartbreaking to think what a waste it would have been if she was not given back the opportunity to live. She puts a smile on everyones face who crosses her path.

Thank you to my friends who stepped up and convinced me to go to the pound in the first place. And thank you to Catherine Hedges who so willingly and effortlessly opens her heart when an animal is in need.