February 13, 2001
Precious Bailey
ADOPTED!


What Bailey's foster Mom, Suzanne, said about him

Bailey's original family, bought him as a pup from a 'breeder' in Tennessee and they were his only family for the first 3 years of his life. A friend of mine was working an 'adoption day' at PetSmart for a no kill shelter we have both worked for in the past, and Bailey's family came in looking for someone to 'take him'. Judy knew how much I loved Bichons (she was Dweezil's foster parent, that's how I met her), so she called me as soon as she got home. I immediately called Bailey's family because I was afraid they would give him to someone just to get rid of him. The next day John & I went to pick him up at their home. They said they wanted to get rid of him for several reasons. Foremost were his allergies. He had terrible allergies that never seemed to go away. We could tell by looking at his little body, that it was true. The hair on his shoulders his sides and rump was very, very thin. The wife said she had spent countless hours taking him to and from the Vet's office and taking care of him and just could not take it any longer. They were allowing Bailey to run lose in the woods with the neighbors dog!!! She realized that running in the woods was probably making his allergies worse but they lived deep in the woods, had a beautiful home and did not want to put up a fence. One thing that just broke my heart, happened when were leaving. The two children were NOT UPSET AT ALL that Bailey was leaving. I still cannot understand that. Bailey did not have any trouble at all adjusting to the change and never seemed to miss his family one bit. He did have alpha tendencies but did not challenge the alpha in our household, Dweezil! Bailey fit right in!! He was a stubborn little guy at times and knew when he was pushing the envelope, but he would always smile the little Bichon smile and wag his whole body. He was not a 'trouble maker' just a healthy, curious little guy! Bailey absolutely needed someone with a fenced in back yard. He loves to explore the outdoors!! It was also easy to see that he craved attention. He wanted to be hugged, loved and wanted someone to pay attention to him. I don't think he ever had enough of that with his original family.

There were two main reason I wanted to foster Bailey through Small Paws®.
#1. Because you guys know about all there is to know about Bichons, and what you don't know, you know how to find out! With Bailey's allergies being so bad I felt he needed that advantage. We changed his food (Solid Gold with a Supplement), hugged him a lot and paid attention to him and after a while, he calmed down and he NEVER had even one hot spot or problem with allergies in the 5 months we had him.

#2. We wanted Small Paws® to benefit from the adoption fee received from Bailey. Bailey ended up being a healthy little guy, both physically & emotionally. His case was different from one of your auction babies. Compared to them, he had a life of Riley but it could just as easily turned very ugly for him if he had gotten into the wrong hands and that is where Small Paws® helped to make the difference. Small Paws® found a family who was looking for a Bichon. From what I read in your emails to the group, Small Paws® is there to help any & every Bichon. There were no medical bills or expenses for Small Paws® to spend for Bailey, but there could have been. Small Paws® helps countless other dogs who do have medical bills. We feel Small Paws® deserved to take credit for his adoption.

Mr. & Mrs. Wood's 'wants' and Bailey's 'needs' meshed perfectly. They had just lost their Bichon of the last 12 years (?) and desperately wanted another Bichon to love. I was very happy they took time to expressed this with several phone calls and emails to me because I have found some people want a dog but they really don't plan to make it part of their family. It's just 'a dog', like a rug or a lamp. This family missed their baby soooooo much & she had been an important part of their family. They are very active and love the outdoors and wanted a Bichon who could walk & hike with them as well as go with them to visit family & friends. Bailey needed a family who would love him and pay attention to him. He needed a family with a fenced in yard so he could run off his excess energy exploring the 'wilds' and who would take him places with them and spend time with him. It is a perfect match

Subj: BAILEY THE ALABAMA DOG WHO IS ALREADY ON WELFARE
Date: 1/16/01 7:46:20 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: William_D._Woods@OXY.COM
To: DWEEZILPUP@AOL.COM

GOOD MORNING! First of all you are not bugging me too much! Jan and I
appreciate everything that you and John did for us and Bailey. He is so
sweet! Today is his first day while we are at work but Jan's mother will
probably come and let him out at times during the week while we are at work.
She will probably not come everyday but Jan's mama and daddy love Bailey so
much so I wouldn't be surprised. Jan may take him to her parents once a
week to spend the day. They have a fence in their yard too. We took him on
a two mile walk yesterday evening and this morning Jan took him for a one
mile walk to try to wear him out so maybe he will rest while we are at work.
He loves to walk and ride in the car. Jan had a great time yesterday with
him. He likes to ride in Jan's lap while she drives. He has a good
appetite. He has slept with us the last two nights. He is as still as a
baby. He has had no accidents in the house. I think he has taken up with
Jan more than me so far but probably because she spent all day with him
yesterday. I usually feed him in the mornings and Jan in the evenings. He
has adjusted well so far. He has got to see some goats that live close by
to our house on our daily walks. He didn't know what to think about those
goats. He is just like a little baby to Jan and I. He loves to snuggle and
sometimes play a little bit. WE suspect that he will really play and have
running fits later on as he gets more comfortable in his new home. What do
you think???? Also tell Robin that she has our permission to use our
pictures and letter on the web.. Maybe it will show other people that a
adopted dog is a great thing to do! The pictures that you sent didn't work!
A question that Jan had was how long did Bailey spend alone when you and
John were at work??? What all have you seen Bailey do that was funny?
what all have you seen him do that was bad? We would love to hear some of
your stories about him!!!!!!!!!!!! We will send you the harness and lease
in a couple of days along with money for the dog food. Well I had better go
for now. Tell John hello for Jan and me and Bailey sends his licks!!!

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