Lisa and Emma

Lisa and Emma

Lisa and Emma are sisters. Two beautiful lab/pit bull mixes. They were both just a few months old when they were abandoned and taken to the shelter. They were kept in separate crates, which could have given them a clue that they may be separated and never see each other again.

They were both beautiful young girls. But weeks of living in a crate takes it toll. Their coats became dull. They were dirty. They smelled. Their beauty was hidden under weeks of filth. With their beauty hidden, they weren't very appealing. So they got no homes.

The shelter was crowded. Too crowded. Room had to be made for the new dogs coming in to the shelter. Lisa and Emma's days were now numbered.

One of our volunteers went into the shelter and asked about dogs who's lives may be in jeopardy. Lisa and Emma were at the top of the list. We only had room for one dog, so Lisa was chosen. A collar and leash were put on her and she was led out to the car. Lisa had different ideas about where she was going. It was obvious that she was filled with terror. Weeks and weeks in the shelter had made her fearful of everyone and everything...even if they meant good news.

Lisa's belly hugged the ground. She refused to move. In her confusion, she thought she would be safer in the shelter than leaving it.

Finally our volunteer gently picked her up and carried her to her car. All the way home Lisa was panting in terror.

Before she went into her new home, Lisa had to have weeks of shelter living washed away from her beautiful body. She was taken to Pup 'n Suds dog wash on Bellevue Avenue in Upper Montclair, given a bath and brought back to her original beauty. The people at Pup 'n Suds have been so generous to us. Whenever we get a new shelter dog, they allow us to use their facility to give the dog a bath and beauty treatment -- often for the first time in months. In all this time, they haven't charged us a penny. Thanks Pup 'n Suds!

Lisa then walked into her foster home -- again very scared. But she was in luck. Her foster parents already had a wonderful, friendly yellow lab who welcomed Lisa and made her feel at home.

Lisa's first few days were filled with more love, play and nutritious food than she probably ever had in her life. Very quickly she tossed away her fears and began to enjoy life again.

Lisa is a beautiful dog and it took no time to find her a new home. Within a week of leaving the shelter, Lisa was in her new home.

But what about Emma?

Because there was no foster space available for Emma, she had to remain in the shelter. Now that Lisa had a home, space became available for Emma. She was taken out of the shelter, given the same pampered care her sister enjoyed. She was brought into the same foster home her sister occupied just the day before. She was welcomed by the same lab, feasted on the same food and luxuriated on the exact same bed as her sister.

Wonder if she knew her sister had just left the same home?

Lisa and Emma were healthy, beautiful and adopted. But they were separated by about 40 miles.

Then fate stepped in.

Lisa's owner kept her and cared for her for about a year. Then her owner started experiencing difficulties. Not with Lisa (she was a doll) but with her own life. She struggled to keep everything (including Lisa) together. But it wasn't to be. The problems became too great. She had to find a new home for Lisa.

At Aunt Mary's Dog House, we stay with you and your new pet forever. Lisa's owner called us and told us of her problems. It was clear that something had to be done.

By great fortune, there was space available in the same foster home where she lived a year earlier. When she walked in the door, she knew just where she was. The friendly lab greeted her like an old friend. Lisa wasn't exactly sure what was happening to her, but she knew she was safe. She curled up on her blanket and took a long, deep nap.

Fate stepped in again. In the year that had passed, Emma's owners became friends with the people who had fostered her. They only lived a few blocks from each other. The foster parents mentioned that Emma's sister Lisa was back. They wondered if Emma's parents knew of a home for her.

They did! The home they had in mind was right across the street from where Emma was living. Could it be true? Could Emma and Lisa be reunited and live just a few hundred feet from each other?

Emma's parents called their friends, telling them of Lisa. They already knew about Emma. They knew what a wonderful pet she was. Now her sister was available again. She must be as wonderful!

The friends quickly called our volunteers, expressing a definite interest in Lisa. Shortly after the call, they came to see Lisa, adopted her and have given her a warm, wonderful home.

After over a year of trauma, fear and separation, Lisa and Emma live across the street from each other. Sisters reunited!

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