New Family Member "Mirabella" - 10/22/17

October 22, 2017 - Sunday
Chicago, Illinois

We welcomed a new member into our family today, October 22, 2017. Her name is Mirabella.
Breed: Shih Tzu mix
Sex: Female
Weight: 10.7 pounds
Date of Birth: 09/05/2008
Adoption Date: 10/21/2017

History:
In August 2017 Mirabella was diagnosed with bladder stones and required surgery to remove them. The owner could not afford the cost for the surgery and surrendered Mirabella to a veterinarian animal hospital. A veterinarian at the animal hospital placed Mirabella with Second City Canine Rescue (SCCR) in Palatine, Illinois. SCCR paid for Mirabella’s surgery and placed her with one of their foster families while she recuperated. Fully recovered, Mirabella was offered for adoption in mid-October 2017.

We had just lost Maurice (“MO”), a 17 year old, male, toy poodle. His years had finally caught up with him and he passed on 10/07/2017. MO lived with us from April 2017. Sharon’s sister was in failing health and no longer able to care for him, so he became a beloved member of our family.

We believe the best way to mend a broken heart from the loss of a beloved pet was to provide a loving home to another orphaned pet. So we began our quest to find another little one that needed a home.

During our search for small breed rescue dogs, we discovered not too many people wanted to adopt senior dogs. We decided we would adopt only senior dogs, 8+ years, and provide them with a loving home for whatever years they had left.

We searched numerous dog shelters and happened to come across SCCR. We liked their approach of rescuing dogs and placing them in foster homes until they are adopted. We spotted the adoption page for Mirabella on 10/18/2017 and filled out the online application of our intent to adopt her.

SCCR presents dogs for adoption at a PetsMart, near their offices, on Saturdays. We met Mirabella for the first time on Saturday, 10/21/2017. It was instantaneous love at first sight! She was so sweet and adorable. We met with representatives of SCCR, answered all of their questions and were granted permission to adopt her.

During the adoption process we learned that due to Mirabella's prior history of bladder stones she requires a prescription diet for the remainder of her life. The prescription diet dog food is considerably more expensive than nonprescription dog food, but to us, our little Mirabella is worth every bit of it!!!

On Sunday, 10/22/21, the foster mom brought Mirabella to our home, and stayed for a short time while Mirabella adjusted to her new home.

In no time at all, Mirabella adjusted well to her new surroundings and spacious back yard.

We look forward to exciting adventures with our new family member.