After a long 30 hours without sleep, I finally landed in Atlanta on Sunday and we were on our way to pick up the rescue dog that we had adopted three weeks ago.
Meet Juniper – aka Juni, aka Junebug – formerly known as (Dog) Marsi.
Although it had been nine months since we lost our sweet old boy Dodge (and our sweet old girl Molly a year prior to that), we were not certain that we were quite ready to adopt again. However, my casual perusal of Petfinder.com led me to Angels Among Us Pet Rescue group’s Facebook page, where their newest post was asking for contributions for this pretty young dog and her litter of puppies, so they could receive vet care and be moved from a kill shelter to foster homes. That pretty dog’s name was Marsi. What?! Sharing a name was too big of a coincidence to ignore, as our name – with this particular spelling – is pretty uncommon.
We had a lot of requirements for the dog that would fit our needs right now: housebroken, energetic enough to hike with us, good with kids, other dogs, cats. (Dog) Marsi seemed to fit all of them. Once (Dog) Marsi’s puppies were weaned and she was placed in a foster home, we connected with her wonderful foster family and arranged a time to meet her.
We bonded with (Dog) Marsi immediately, and it was clear that she was meant to be a part of our family. When we went to pick her up three weeks later, it was if we had already known each other her entire life.
She snuggled with me or more often on me in the back seat the entire three hour drive home. She wasn’t at all anxious, she is just that loving.
That head of hers is 100% Lab, inside and out.
At an estimated year old, she still acts like a puppy, and loves her toys. She knows not to chew on furniture or anything else she isn’t supposed to, though she does like socks.
Presumably this is her first time visiting a dog park. Here she is just off the leash. Oh the joy!
In her foster home, Juniper (dog Marsi) had 5 dogs to play with. With the exception of an Australian Cattle Dog, her playmates were all smaller. So at the dog park she was a bit timid around the big dogs, even this Great Pyrenees – another rescue, a gentle giant.
Juniper loves meeting new people as much as meeting new doggos. That little dog was awesome – afraid of nothing, and fitting right in with all the big dogs.
Juniper crashed hard after the dog park. As you can see, she pretty much took over our bed. She spends half the night at the foot of the bed before wedging herself in between us with a leg flung over my neck.
Last night we realized that Juniper has some interesting markings. See the arrow on her heinie that points up to her tail?
What breed is she? We are fairly certain she is half Lab, and the other half is a bit of a question mark. Perhaps Blue Heeler or Australian Shepherd?
Juni still needs to gain about 10 lbs, and right now her head looks a little big for her body. She is crazy active, and it may take a while for her to put that weight on.
Juniper is the sweetest, smartest, snuggliest, most playful dog I’ve ever met. She follows me everywhere, and we are already besties. I cannot wait to get her on a trail after this week of rain ends.
If you are in the Atlanta area (or within a couple of hours drive) and are interested in adopting a pet, I highly recommend working with Angels Among Us. It has been a wonderful experience for us.
If you are curious what inspired Juniper’s name, it was actually Bend, Oregon.
Westward We Wander 
She’s beautiful! I’m so glad you found each other.
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Thank you, Susanne! We are so lucky to have her in our little family.
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Blue Heeler is a good bet, she has the look except for the very obvious Lab head. She looks really sweet. Love the hind end marking. Enjoy, I know she will!
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She has the energy of a blue heeler too (but thankfully not the stubbornness!).
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One lucky dog Marsi and she is beautiful and will add a whole new element to your wanderings. Sally
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Thank you, Sally! Our wanderings will definitely be a bit different with a dog along, and it will be fun to watch her experience new places through her always-curious eyes. If the weather cooperates, we hope to take her on her first camping trip this weekend.
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That should be interesting…. better get her her own sleeping back if you don’t want her in yours…
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Wow, how exciting! I just love the Oregon based name you gave her too! She’s surely a beauty and well matched to your lifestyle. I’m so happy for all 3 of you and I love that you rescue. Somehow it does not surprise me 🙂 I love her markings. I haven’t seen many blue heelers, but she makes me think of Australian cattle dogs with that pretty coat. You’re lucky you saw her first, I’m not that far from there and I’ve been watching on Petfinders myself lol. Just kidding, she’s way better suited to you guys! Well this dog nut has even more reason to keep following you now 🙂 Love the dog park pics and her crashed out after.
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Yes, we feel very lucky have found each other 🙂 Juniper could be part Australian cattle dog (I think that’s the same as a blue heeler?), but the ears and body shape make us think Australian shepherd maybe? Perhaps one day we will have a DNA test done. I hope you find your special pup companion soon!
My parents always bought poodles because of allergies, but the four dogs I’ve had as an adult were all rescue mutts, and three of the four were adults when I adopted them. When I took Juniper to the dog park on Monday afternoon, each one of the other 20 or so dogs there (mostly large mutts) were rescue dogs. That makes my heart happy!
Thanks for your sweet comment, Val!
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Also, I highly recommend Angels Among Us rescue group. They were amazing to work with – total pros, and truly compassionate. It’s so much easier to find the right match for one’s lifestyle when going through a foster program.
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Congratulations to both you and Juniper! I’m so glad you found each other. She’s adorable and had me smiling all the way through this post. 🙂
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Thank you! We are lucky to have Juniper as part of the family. She brings joy to everyone she meets. Sometimes all that puppy energy makes it difficult to focus though. She is a year old but that lab half of her means she’ll be a puppy for a while 🙂
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