My folks decided that I need a playmate, so Mom found a dog at Living Free Animal Sanctuary near Idyllwild, and I went with them yesterday to make sure she was okay. She is a terrier mix (maybe some Shih Tzu) and is just a little bigger than I am. She is just a kid (only 4), so I will have to show her "the ropes". I have to admit that she is pretty cute (as you can see from her picture).

She had been at Living Free since March, but she had a couple of problems so they waited to put her up for adoption. She is very healthy now with no problems, and has only been available for adoption for a month; my mom can't believe no one claimed her.

We named her "Muffin", which I think goes very well with my name (very important). Living Free is almost a paradise for pets (SO much nicer than where my folks found me), with lots of acreage and big animal pens with grass runs. Best of all though, all the animals (would you believe they have cats too?) have been claimed from shelters where they were going to be euthanized in a few days. When Living Free rescues them, unless they are adopted, they stay there forever and have a very nice life. No animal is ever euthanized there unless there's a medical reason. The animals get a lot of one-on-one human contact so they won't forget how to interact. If you love animals and want to support a good cause, this would be the one. They are funded solely from private donations.

Muffin was very good in the car coming down the mountain. She is very quiet and really adorable (or so my mom says). She will take a few days to settle in but we already get along fine although she is trying to hog all the petting. She gets more food than I do for now, but mom may put her on a diet. She was very good last night and slept beside me in my folks' and my bedroom. She was a stray like I was, so we don't know much about her except that she's very cute, wants to be loved, and loves to have her belly rubbed (what dog doesn't?). Since Muffin plays with toys and other dogs, my mom hopes that she will get me to be more active, but right now it's too darned hot for much of that.

Old age is realizing you will never own all the dogs you want. We're sure glad we came along in time for our folks.