Brandy Alexandra Bennett turns 14!

Hi. My name is Brandy Alexandra Bennett. Two days ago, September 17th, was my 14 birthday! I wanted to write to you all then, and tell you my story, but I hadn't learned how to blog yet. Mom and Dad adopted me on November 24th, 2001. They researched what kind of dog was best for their lifestyle and decided on the fabulous breed, Toy Fox Terrier (that’s me!) They knew how many homeless dogs there were in the world, so rather than buy a new one from a puppy store or a breeder; they went to the American Toy Fox Terrier Rescue website. Did you know that out of 49 recognized AKC breeds, 42 have rescue sites?
And did you know that most dogs in shelters are purebreds? Dad likes to tease me and say that new, I would have cost them $1500 or more, but that used, I was free! They also say I am a priceless Princess.
There is usually nothing wrong with the dogs that end up at shelters. Usually it’s a problem on the human end: a new baby, not enough research before getting a dog, a major life change, etc. In my case, I was well loved by my original family, but they had to enter housing that didn’t allow me to go with them. I ended up in a kill shelter in CT! I was terrified there, but luckily, a kind Veterinarian Technician who did small dog rescue, brought me home and posted me on the American TFT rescue site. (www.atftc.com/rescue) Because I was 7 years old at the time, I was considered a tough placement, because people think older dogs will die soon. Hah! What craziness, Mom and Dad say! In fact, they call me "skittely-do-dah-dog" because I'm still so peppy. And smaller dogs age slower than larger dogs - about 4.6 years for a dog my size. (You do the math - it's hard enough for me to type with one paw while I snack on my kibble with the other.) Middle age and senior dogs are usually well trained, calmer and anxious to relocate to a loving home. Mom and Dad said that the day I came to live with them, we became a family. They couldn’t believe that not only did I have no “issues”, but that I came complete with circus tricks! We 3 were so happy as a family, that we wanted to help other pups and began to work with other small dogs that needed fostering along the way to their new homes. In fact, Mom became a dog trainer, so that she could help rescue and shelter dogs become more adoptable – she used to be the Tri-State rescue co-coordinator for ATFTC and still volunteers with both the ASPCA (http://www.aspca.org/) and the Humane Society (http://www.hsus.org/).
I gotta tell you, I like having most of my foster siblings here for awhile, and I know how important my job is, showing them how to act like a proper pup, but I usually like having Mom and Dad back to myself once they find new homes. HOWEVER – I have recently made an exception and agreed to have a new little brother, Otie. He'll be 5 years old next month and he's a real cute tri-colored, apple-head chihuahua. So now we are a family of four! Actually, all though he was a bit of a pain when he first came, now he helps me out a lot, since I've become hard of hearing. Otie is sure to let me know, when it's time to bark. Otie will write to you when it's his birthday - he's still learning to blog - understandable, he's younger.

Otie and I have had some great adventures together, meeting celebrities, having a country AND metropolitan home - it's all the more amazing when you consider we both could’ve been on death row (shudder)!