My Dog, Zillah
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Carleen Rodriguez

Zillah's First Victory

I've long frequented the Birmingham Humane Society to visit all the lovely animals. When I finally moved to a place where animals were allowed, I went to the GBHS fueled with the hope of welcoming a furry friend into my family.

That's when I met Dollar. She immediately caught my eye and my heart. However, Dollar was a puppy, and my roommate and I had decided that it would be best to adopt an older dog. So, I tried hard to consider Dollar as not an option. But I couldn't get her out of my mind; I even tried to talk friends into adopting her.

I met an older (or so we thought) dog named Jeb who was very sweet and a good boy. I decided to adopt him, but due to "breed restrictions" where I lived, my resident manager denied my request to let him move in. She asked if there were any other dogs I was interested in. I couldn't help but mention Dollar. She took one look at her photo on the GBHS website and said "Oh, she's adorable! Yes!" I called my roommate, and she agreed that we could make an exception to the "no puppy" decision. It was the first of many battles that Dollar won.

I took "Dollar" (now known as Zillah; shown enjoying a belly rub) home that day, and she has been my truest companion and cohort ever since. She has been by my side for over 3 years now. I can't imagine my life without her. She is one of my best friends, the other being our newest furry addition, Nietzsche, who joined the family almost 2 years ago.

Adopting Zillah and Nietzsche were the best decisions I ever made.

Side Note: When I got to the GBHS that afternoon, Jeb had bonded with a maintenance worker that was fixing something in the kennel. When the man found out I couldn't adopt him, he ended up talking to an adoption counselor about taking him home. Happy endings for all!