Tricia & Mattie

Human: Tricia
Canine: Matterhorn (Mattie)
Location: San Francisco
Together since: 2006
Type: Catahoula mix
Favorite rescue group: SPCA

We were combing a long list of shelter websites and cruising the aisles of the SPCA on a regular basis when we found Mattie. We wanted a puppy so that our kids could help raise her, but learned that they're hard to find in our local shelter--unlike older dogs.

So, it took us a while to find Mattie. I was doing my weekly cruise of the SPCA when I ran into a man with a black and white puppy in a snuggly, taking her out for a "walk." I asked about her, and he said that she was one of the gentlest puppies he'd seen. I asked for her name, and he said, "Rain."

So, gentle Rain it was. She was one of a litter of eight puppies born at Animal Care and Control in San Francisco. We got to play with her and one of her brothers. He was more outgoing, but my husband decided she was the one--it was her sweetness that won him over. Often when people ask where we got her, they say "Oh, she's such a lucky dog." But we know who's really lucky.

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