Gentle Pink and loyal Blue are such loved members of the Accola Family. But they weren't always so happy. They found their forever family by way of the shelter. This is their story and how they found a family with lots of love in their hearts.
Pink - the Gentlest of Colors
The Accola family of Marshalltown, A.J., Amanda, Gavin, and Perry, love animals and are frequent visitors to the Animal Rescue League of Marshall County. At one visit with the kids, A.J. was presented with the opportunity to foster a gentle pit bull named Pink. She had been born with a knee defect and had just had surgery to address it. Her recovery would be aided by having a quiet place to recover.
Pink was such a sweet girl that A..J phoned Amanda right away to discuss bringing her home to foster. The family was not put-off by the breed but considered how their family dynamics, activity, children, and their own lab mix, would work for her rest in recovery. They decided to bring her home.
Pink did fabulous with the family. As she recovered the ARL found an adopter for her. This sweet girl went on to her new home but it was not a good fit. The Accolas agreed to foster her again. But it became a "foster fail", a term used when a foster family decides to no longer foster but to adopt. The Accola family loved this girl and became her forever family!
Pink will always have some special consideration for her knees, but is a constant gentle presence and happy girl. She loves being loved and lounging with everyone. It's impossible to meet her and not have your heart melt. Mine did. Good girl, Pink!
Feeling Blue
After experiencing the loss of their own beloved lab mix the Accolas were not feeling ready add to their fur family.
Yet at one of their usual visits to the ARL they met a lab mix who caught their attention. He wasn't barking or trying to draw attention, but was calm and sitting. There was just something about him. His name was Wilbur.
With her husband deployed at the time, Amanda wasn't quite sure about falling in love with this sweet boy. She decided to wait, but the dog stayed on her mind. Some time passed and Amanda scrolled into a picture of Wilbur on Facebook. She couldn't believe it! It seemed meant to be.
This time it was Amanda's turn to ask A.J. about fostering. He responded with a simple, "Go get him."
This boy was an amazing dog. He loved to play and loved his new people and sister, Pink. By Christmastime they made him officially family and changed his name to Blue. Blue is the police support color (besides serving our country, A.J. is a member of the Marshalltown Police Department). The name also fit so well with Pink.
Blue lives to play with his ball and you have his full attention when you talk treats. He is happy to be where his family is, and he's definitely a super good boy!
Happy Endings
Happy endings don't just happen. They are made by people with extra big hearts. Blue and Pink now have their happily ever after with each other and the Accola family.
According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs go into shelters each year. Of those, 670,000 are euthanized. That means nearly 3.2 million find homes. Please consider fostering or adopting a dog. Your next love may be out there, waiting.