Hehe. She's such a silly little girl. Well, where should I start? From the beginning is always good. Before I adopted Becca, I had a sweet little (well, not so little) wirehair dachshund named Cleo. After her passing, I never intended to get another dog--at least not so soon. I knew deep down that I couldn't go forever without another dog in my life (especially when one has been your sole companion for 16 years), but I didn't want Cleo to feel as if I was replacing her. I felt guilty for even considering such a thing. But, as time wore on, the loneliness didn't subside. As much as I loved Cleo and missed her, I needed a companion again. Maybe "needed" isn't the right word, but I'll let it go for now.
About two weeks after Cleo's death is when I started to get the urge to find another dog. Sooner than I had thought I would, but there you go. I decided to wait until the folks were out of town before getting one, but in the interim, I searched through the want ads. Never did I consider looking in pet shops for one. Not just because of puppy mills, but simply cause I couldn't afford it. It was either going to be from a personal ad in the paper (for a free or low-priced dog) or from the local pet adoption place. The animal shelter was something I originally refused to consider, because I didn't think I could handle seeing all those animals there and not be able to take each and everyone home with me. But, on some advice from friends, I changed my mind and decided to consider it as well.
On August 3, 1998, armed w/ a bit of cash for the adoption, I drove around town. First stop was for a newspaper to check the ads again. So far, I hadn't had much luck in finding anything and again, the paper proved to be a stalemate. I was looking for a dog, short-haired, small to medium size, 1-3 years old, female, housebroken and of course affordable, if not free (I'm on a very limited budget here folks). So, I drove to the animal shelter. My heart broke instantly at seeing all these dogs. I wanted so much to be able to take each and everyone of them home, but naturally I couldn't. I think I stood there for about half an hour, gazing at the dogs while I talked to a woman who was also looking for a dog. I didn't know what I wanted to do right then, so I headed for Love At First Sight, a pet adoption agency (it took me awhile to find it too!). Unfortunately, they didn't have any pets at the time, but they took my request for a small breed and posted it on the message board. They did have Chow puppies, but they weren't ready to be adopted yet (plus, the breed was bigger than what I wanted anyway). So, back to the animal shelter I went. This time, I studied the dogs a bit more closely (well, as close as I could, considering they were in a pen). I stuck my finger in through the chainlink fence and petted a few noses as tongues came and licked my hand. I made sure each and everyone of them got petted. Most of them were medium to big sized dogs, which I didn't want to get. My reason for that, is that the dog would have to be kept outside. I don't like to spend much time outside, so the dog would get neglected. It had to be a small dog so that it could be kept indoors. Well, after a bit of time, my eyes settled on a cute little black and tan dog that I mistakenly thought was a Miniature Doberman (least I was half right). Even the guy who worked there didn't know better. Anyway, she was the one I wanted. I pointed her out to the employee, and he went inside the pen and put a leash on her and brought her out to me. It was still heartbreaking to leave all those other dogs behind (I hope they all found good homes!), but alas they couldn't all go with me.
Inside the office, as my new little friend wagged her body excitedly and ran around the office. I questioned the employee about her, asked her how long she had been there (I can't remember the answer to that anymore), why she was given up, etc. etc. She was given up because her previous owners couldn't housebreak her. Apparently they would leave her (and her littermate) alone in their house or apartment while they went to work, and naturally when they came home, they would find little puddles and piles on the floor. Excuse me for this, but DUH! Apparently Becca was the "worst" of the two. I don't know what happened to the other pup. Anyway, her adoption fee was $36 ($4 actual adoption fee, $11 rabies vaccination fee, $1 county registration fee, and $20 partial spaying fee). That left me w/ enough to get her first set of vaccinations, a leash and collar, dog dish, food and toys.
I can't really tell you how I came up w/ the name Becca. I didn't even have a name for her when I took her to the vet. It wasn't until we got home, and I was holding her and playing w/ her that the name Becca popped into my head. And so she Becca she was named. She has been a constant joy in my life, and is a very intelligent dog. I don't know what her previous owners were thinking, but they were definitely wrong about her. It took about 2-3 months to get her housebroken and it actually didn't take much effort to do it. All of a sudden one day she just started scratching at the door to be let out and that was that. That's not the only reason she's smart, but I'll leave those stories for Becca's Pin Tales page.