I grew up in a household of cat lovers. We were a family that always seemed to have that we had unofficially adopted running around outside or one that was undoubtably ours on the inside. There was Toby, who my dad called Kibbles. And there was Scruffy. But the one we had the longest was Smokey. He stayed with us for 15 years. Losing him was tough.

My family still has a cat, Sassy. And I love her as I have all the others.

But somewhere in my adulthood, I really became a dog person.

I adopted Journey from the humane society in Montgomery when I was 21. He was fantastic. And while I only had him for about a year before he disappeared, I still miss him. Dec. 26, 2003 was the last time I ever saw him.

A little over a year ago I agreed to take in Charley when a friend of mine was moving and could no longer keep him. Now, I hate to think about a day when he is no longer around.

Blythe and I got married in June, but I halfway adopted her dog Bella last July when she moved to Demopolis.

So our family consists of Charley and Bella as much as it does anyone else. They are fantastic dogs who make our lives fuller and better.

Sadly, there are many loving canines in our area who still need a home. The Bigbee Humane Society posted numerous pictures on its Facebook page Friday afternoon, hoping to find home for dogs like Toby, Bandit, Scarlet, Sandy, Patty, Luke, Jack, Hank, Connor, Candy and Amber.

As a bleeding heart dog lover, a part of me wants to take every single one of the animals home. But our home is full with Charley and Bella.

Still, there are many homes in Demopolis that lack a four-legged, furry member of the household.

With Christmas fast approaching, there will likely be a number of local families looking to surprise their children with a new family pet.

Instead of immediately turning elsewhere, I encourage you to at least give these wonderful shelter dogs a look. Chances are, you may fall in love with them pretty quickly.

And there is no doubt that these wonderful animals could certainly use a home for the holidays.

 

Jeremy D. Smith is the community editor of The Demopolis Times.