Reggie loves to be wherever his family is, even in a boat parade.
Photos by Barbara Leiser
April 30 is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day! Which makes today the perfect day to begin telling some of own dog adoption stories. In 2016, Orvis continues our matching-grant partnership with the Petfinder Foundation for the fifth consecutive year. But our relationship with Petfinder is much more personal than that—many of Orvis associates have adopted pets through Petfinder and have wonderful stories to share. This week, we will meet Barbara and her dog Reggie.
Dog: Reggie
Human: Barbara, Technical Designer
Adoption date: April 2011
My daughter had been promised a dog when she relocated from Long Island to Vermont. We were looking for a small “house dog.”
He was the best-dressed dog at the Fourth of July Boat parade.
We met Reggie at the first adoption clinic we went to. He was rescued by the CDHA (Capital District Humane Association out of Loudonville, New York) from a kill shelter down South. He had been in a group foster home for six months before we met him. When my daughter first met him, he snuggled right up and did not want to leave her. They had to physically take him from her when we left. So I guess you could say he adopted her.
He is a Chihuahua/mini-Doberman mix, and he is the perfect blend of both, in physical appearance and personality. Tipping the scale at a whopping 15 pounds, he is now seven years old.
Reggie performs his guard duties in comfort.
His favorite sports are lap-sitting or sleeping, and he’s an excellent “ratter.” Mice, voles, chipmunks, and small rabbits have all fallen to his hunting acumen. He’s even been known to somehow extricate a dead mouse from the trap in our house to gleefully play with the a carcass. And he can dig like I’ve never seen a dog dig before, even stopping briefly to chew away tree roots so he can burrow deeper. Recently, Reggie took up jogging—he’s become a 5K9 companion! He prefers three- to four-mile runs, but has accompanied me for as many as six miles. That’s a lot of mileage on those little legs!
Reggie even has his own YouTube music video called Cat Sized Dog, Doing Dog Things. Check it out!