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Why Town Paws?

I love my dogs. Period. So I wanted to create a website for them. I send their picture to almost every "cute pet contest" I find and thought how nice it would be to have a website that showcases the dogs that live in our community. Every single time I see someone walking their dog, I politely stop them and ask "May I pet her/him?" I think I know the name of almost every canine that lives in town. Dogs bring me joy and if you're looking at this site, they obviously bring you joy as well. So this site is dedicated to our children of the furry kind and to the people who love them dearly.

 

 dogs in the window  

A little story about Amelia...

    
     

Three years ago on a nice, sunny afternoon (which happened to be Friday the 13th) I decided to go to the Danville SPCA "just to have a look." If you're anything like me, you know there is no such thing. As i was getting out of my car, a beautiful blonde came running up to me. This "blonde" turned out to be Amelia. She was in the process of being adopted by another family and managed to escape. She ran to me immediately and in less than a minute, I decided this was the dog for me. I soon found out she already belonged to someone else. After speaking to the couple, I learned that they already had 2 other dogs at home and they needed to make sure Amelia would get along with them before making any final decisions. We exchanged phone numbers and I went home empty-handed but hopeful. I received a call by 11 o' clock that evening. Amelia wasn't exactly working out the way the couple had planned. We made arrangements to meet at the SPCA the following morning and like they say "the rest is history." There is something special about the love received by an adopted dog. I can see in her eyes that she will be forever grateful to me for giving her a safe, loving home. She has become my best friend and gaurdian over the last three years and I hate to think of what my life was like before her. She is gentle, sweet and graceful. More than I ever expected a dog to be. She's my girl and I'm pretty sure she's ok with that.

 
And a story about Minus....

 

Two summers ago a friend of mine had a BBQ. I had my share of hotdogs and hamburgers and sat relaxing under the stars. I noticed little eyes staring at me from under a chair and realized it was a dog. I yelled to my friend, "You have a dog?!" "Yeah," my friend yelled back, "you can have him if you want him." I thought he was joking. The dog sat curled up on my lap for the remainder of the party. I had always wanted a "lap dog." I soon found out that because my friend was moving in a month, he couldn't take his dog with him. I agreed to take him immediately. 2 weeks later, we took Amelia out to visit her potential roommate. They hit it off instantly. She followed him around like they had been pals for years. We brought him home and life hasn't been the same since. Minus is a very handsome little dog, and he likes to follow me everywhere I go (including up the narrow sprial staircase in my apartment that Amelia will not go near). He was one in a litter of 13 puppies and unfortunately lost his mother during his birth. Because of this, he was bottle fed. I've heard that dogs who miss out on the "suckling" when they are weened too soon from their mothers will often turn to something else. In his case, his "something else" is his leg. He curls up in a tight little ball and sucks on his leg to fall asleep. It might be the cutest thing I've ever seen an animal do. He sleeps on the couch everynight cuddled up next to Amelia and every morning I hear the ticking of his little toenails coming up the steps to crawl in bed with me. I never thought I could love another dog the way I love Amelia, but it's easy with him. By the way he stares at me, I can tell he's never been happier in his life.