A lonely stray...not much good at foraging for food, Tucker landed in the SPCA all skin & bones, missing hair, calluses on his elbows, a swollen foot and covered with ticks and fleas. He wasn't likely to snag a forever home sitting in his kennel looking so sorry & scared among the cute puppies and healthy pooches. Lucky for him & me, that Virginia SPCA works with Rescue groups and soon he landed safe in the arms of DAR&E!

I'd just placed my second foster dog, and the next day went off to pick up my next. He looked so sickly and sad, that my heart just went out to him. I could count his ribs and every vertebra in his spine poked up through his coat. He was all head & ears on a skinny little body, at least 12 pounds underweight. I called on my fellow DAR&E volunteers for ideas on helping with his condition...putting some weight on him and getting him on the road to recovery. Through them I learned the power of the "Satin Ball" (a yummie treat that packs on the weight) and of the soothing impact of Pumpkin (for those sour tummy days). His sweet brown eyes and wagging nub showed how happy he was to have a comfy indoor bed, full belly and a loving family.

He was so happy with such simple pleasures, I had to personally make sure he'd have them all his days... so I adopted him, of course! I'm writing this for our 1 year anniversary. Tucker became part of my family on August 26, 2002. He's taught me a lot over this past year, and I'm still learnin'. Tucker decided he also wanted to volunteer for DAR&E, so he & I have fostered an additional 7 Dobermans over the past year and look forward to helping more!

A little update...It's July 1st, 2005 and Tucker's been with me almost 3 years! I can't thank DAR&E enough for all the joy he brings!
~~Shannon