Diamond is a Diamond

Many of you remember when Diamond came to stay with us last summer after a few traumatic months while her mom was homeless. She was in rough shape, and we agreed to house her while her mom accepted a spot in a homeless shelter for pregnant women.

We had Diamond spayed and addressed all her health and skin issues. It took me a few months to figure out the right diet to keep her allergies in check, but she’s been doing great for the last six months since we eliminated all chicken products from her diet.

The plan was for Diamond to go back with her mom once she got on her feet. That plan has been delayed repeatedly while her mom faced set back after set back. And now, finding affordable housing with a toddler and infant and 50 pound bulldog has proved elusive.

We’ve agreed that the best thing for Diamond is to rehome her. Over the course of the last ten months, I’ve gotten to know and love Diamond. If my own pack of pups would accept a new dog, we’d simply keep her. Nick and I adore this dog.

Sadly, that just can’t be because we have three dogs who are ‘special’. Gracie is elderly and nearly blind/deaf and developing increasing dementia. She’s too fragile for Diamond’s exuberance. Otis continues to be dog-reactive, and Fanny is queen-bee and very dependent on me. We’ve made a few attempts to do introductions, but each time our dogs get worse, not better.

So….Diamond needs a home. I can’t tell you how special this girl is – so funny with the silliest, most entertaining personality. She’s curious and engaged, and quite industrious. That said, she’s also super easy. She is happy to chill all day on the futon or lie in the sun.

I think an ideal home is someone who simply wants the company and love of a dog. A small fenced yard would be ideal since Diamond is a bit of leash puller (plus she really does love to sunbathe).

She doesn’t need (and probably couldn’t go for) long walks, but she loves to go for car rides and is always up for an adventure. I take her with me when I run errands just because it makes her so happy. She doesn’t mind waiting in the car while I run into the post office or store, and is thrilled when I return. She always sports a big grin as she looks out the window as we sail down the road. She especially loves going for her mani/pedi at the dog salon.

Every person she meets is her new best friend. And with her adorable face and full-on body waggle, she gains fans everywhere she goes.

Diamond is solidly crate-trained, always going right in when asked. She’s generally quiet in her crate unless I’m on a zoom call. I have to let her out so she can participate. She sits on the futon behind me and watches the call. I swear she’s convinced everyone is talking to her.

Diamond is also solidly housebroken. In her ten months here, she has never had an accident. She’s spayed, up to date on shots, and more than ready for a home of her own.

Diamond is the most industrious pup. She keeps busy with her own personal projects. When left in the cottage alone, she burrows under the couch cover (or blankets if there are blankets on the futon), so that when I come in, I have a momentary panic in which I think she is gone. But then the telltale tail wag begins, and the thump-thump-thump gives her away as the futon cover starts moving. I swear she is grinning when she emerges, knowing she ‘got me’.

Diamond loves to go for car rides, so sometimes I take her with me to the post office or on other errands.

What Diamond needs now is a hero. Someone willing to welcome this darling dog into their life. Someone to look past her age. Diamond certainly does – she’s the liveliest dog I’ve got here and is six years older than the next oldest dog! She’ll soon be eight years young.

Here’s one thing I know for sure about life with Diamond – it will never be boring. She is curious and smart and busy. She continues to try to bring all kinds of treasures in through the dog door that will not fit, never losing faith in the impossible. Her tail wags relentlessly as she tries over and over, sure that this time it will work.

The plastic Adirondack chair in the dog yard is her newest project. It’s cracked and one-armed, but when Nick wanted to take it to the dump, I insisted we leave it in the dog yard. Diamond has set to work disassembling it piece by piece (all of which she brings into the cottage to show me).

Having just discovered the fun of TikTok, she is one of my favorite subjects and I have no doubt an adopter could create a money-making TikTok account with Diamond.

I need your help getting this darling dog home. Please share Diamond’s pictures and posts and videos far and wide. Let’s find her a family who will spoil her in her twilight years (although with Diamond, I’m going to guess she’s still got another decade to go).

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

My newest book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues is a primer for those new to the cause, an invitation to get involved, and a source of inspiration for those already working tirelessly to save lives. With stories of successful shelters, innovative strategies, and the key ingredients for success—strong leadership, veterinary access, and community engagement—it’s a celebration of what’s working and a call to scale those solutions nationwide. Learn more and get your copy and/or send one to a shelter or rescue on our website. Also available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.

If you’d like regular updates of all our foster dogs past and present, plus occasional dog care/training tips, and occasional foster cat updates (!) be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds.

If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs. Or it’s a follow-up that takes you to the shelters in the south, One Hundred Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to support the work we do (and save the rescue and me some money), shop our Amazon wishlist. We are currently in need of

• probiotics
  • puppy food and puppy treats
  • Dyne (for putting on weight)
  • High-quality treats and chew bones
  • Indestructible toys

If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visit BringDogs.com to learn more.