Rilee's Story

Tonight was our first night of obedience training with Rilee. It went very well! There are 4 other dogs in the class... but none as young as Rilee. She greeted all the other dogs in a very calm, friendly way, which was amazing to me because I still remember Scruffy and Nikki who wanted to attack any dog that came near!

Rilee is 7 months old... for us, she is our third rescue dog. Hard to believe a 7-month-old dog has already been in rescue! She's had a rough start in life...

She was born in Kentucky on July 26, 2008 and purchased by a couple at 5 weeks of age from a "Pet Flea Market" in Louisville, Kentucky. This is paramount in the problems that followed.

No dog should be taken from its mother before the age of 8 weeks... and that's the minimum! If you take a dog too early, you might invariably have social problems for the life of the dog. 6-8 weeks is a critical learning point in a pup's life. You cannot fill the void of mom and litter mates.

The couple soon found out that Rilee (who they originally named Delta) was not adjusting well in her new home... she was nippy, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink and was "aggressive". In frustration, the second week they had her, the couple took Rilee to a dog trainer. The dog trainer, in one meeting with the couple, told them that Rilee was "vicious" and should be "put down".

Unprepared to deal with a "vicious" dog, the couple contacted SFRA (Schnauzer Friends for Rescue and Adoption) in Cincinnati and washed their hands of her.

In rescue at 7 weeks of age, Rilee had a lot to learn about being a dog. Her foster mom, Nancy, worked with her patiently... teaching her to eat and drink from a bowl for starters.

Not long after Rilee entered rescue, another young schnauzer (named Badger) came to rescue. Realizing that Rilee had missed out on some very important time with her litter mates, Nancy took Badger and paired him with Rilee.

After a short time with this dog, Rilee began to make major improvements. As Nancy put it, she "started acting like a dog!"

From 7 weeks to 4 months Rilee adjusted to being a dog in Nancy's care. Then we came along...

Scruffy had lost his battle to liver cancer on December 4, 2008. I had contacted Nancy via e-mail the next day to give her the news... as Scruffy came from SFRA. Nancy sent an e-mail back and we talked via e-mail a few times within days of Scruffy's passing. In our e-mails back and forth Nancy said she didn't want to push, and didn't know if we'd be ready... but she had this "wonderfully special" little girl that she'd love for us to consider adopting. (of course there was a picture of her!)

My first response was that we weren't ready, it was too soon... we'd just lost Scruffy not even a week ago! We'd even talked that we might not get another dog for a few years! Well... I HAD to look at her picture, and I HAD to tell my hubby about her... and before we knew it we were both talking about her to other people.

We were back in Ohio the second week of December and toward the end of the week we realized that maybe, just maybe we did want this dog. If so, now was the time... as I'd have to pick her up in Cincinnati.

So we talked... we talked about ALL the reasons we shouldn't get a dog yet... and when we were done talking, we wanted her! Hubby said to me, "sleep on it... if you still feel like you want this dog in the morning, then contact Nancy and find out if she's still available".

Next morning hubby asked me if I still thought bringing this dog into our life was what I wanted... and I knew I did. I contacted Nancy right away telling her we'd changed our minds and wanted little Rilee if she was still available. There were several people interested in Rilee, but Nancy wanted her to go to a very special home... and since we had adopted two dogs from SFRA already, we were the type of home that Nancy wanted for Rilee.

On December 12, 2008 I made the trip to Cincinnati to get our little girl. I'll never forget the minute I laid eyes on her and held her for the first time. She was so little (a whopping 9 pounds) and a bit nervous...she was just ADORABLE!!

We had a few days in Ohio to take her around and introduce her to some friends and family before we headed back home to Michigan with her.

Today, Rilee is a a healthy, well-adjusted dog... thanks to SFRA! She's not a replacement for Scruffy, but having her around has been an enormous comfort to us! She's an amazing dog, considering what she's already been through, and we are doing all we can to continue to ensure her health and socialization.

Lastly, we changed her name to Rilee the day we brought home because Rilee means "courageous". We thought it was fitting considering her first few months of life and the struggles she's come through.

To anyone considering getting a dog... PLEASE consider rescue first! There are so many, many wonderful dogs out there that need homes! And... if interested... visit SFRA's website... http://www.sfra.net/ Under the "Successes" tab on page 6, you can see the first picture of Rilee that we were shown... she's listed as "Delta". Also, under the "Rainbow Bridge" tab you can see our dogs Nikki and Scruffy who have gone on to doggie heaven.

Until there are none, rescue one!