Angelina Rain, Going to the Dogs

Angelina Rain is a long-time follower and fellow dog-lover. I was thrilled when her book Intimate Healing released because not only is it about my favorite subject in the whole world (DOGS), but it's also a romance.

Dog rescue means so much to Angelina that she negotiated with her publisher to donate 25% of her royalties from Intimate Healing to the Humane Society of the United States.

Today, she tells us about a different love story about how she met the little stray who became the love of her life. Meet Joey.

Please welcome, Angelina Rain.

Love at First Sight, by Angelina Rain

I’ve never been one to believe in love at first sight. The idea that a bond so strong could be formed in only seconds sounded a bit unrealistic to me. It wasn’t until that fateful September afternoon that I learned a lesson about love that strong.

The instant I laid my eyes on him, I knew I had to have him. He was a golden retriever mix with that beautiful fur color that glistened in the sunlight. He was skin and bones, fur missing around his chest and snout. 

Fear lingered in his gaze. While other dogs available for adoption that day barked and wagged their tails, he sat in the corner of his crate as though secretly wishing to be invisible.

Then he saw me. His tail thumped against the crate, and there it was, love at first sight.

Maybe that was because he looked neglected. I’ve always been the kind to give love to those who haven’t received as much as anyone else. Or maybe it was because this dog looked shy. That is something I could relate to.

I asked the shelter employees about this dog and the more I learned about him the more I wanted him for myself. He was found as a stray and instantly there was suspicion of abuse. He showed fear towards men, yet none towards women. He was scared of the sounds of household appliances. He was malnourished, yet otherwise healthy.

Joey was five months old when he was found and brought to an animal shelter. The shelter that took him in only kept their animals for two weeks before euthanizing them, and his two weeks had been up.

He was scheduled for death when an employee from a different animal shelter saved him. They cleaned him up and put a few pounds on him.

When I got my hands on him, he was already nine months old. Going by my math, he was up for adoption for four months before I found him. Did no one want this adorable puppy? It surprises me that it took him so long to find a home. But then again, what if Joey was meant for me all along?

So this is my story of instant love. Do you believe in love at first sight?


INTIMATE HEALING

It’s been fourteen years since Jordan Powell ended her relationship with Nate Thrillson and she is still not over him. She never expected to see him again.

Nate is hiding a deadly secret and plans to live out the rest of his life alone. When he is assigned as head investigator to a missing dogs case he doesn’t expect to be working so closely with the town veterinarian, Jordan.

As they work together to discover who is kidnapping these dogs, old feelings are brought to the surface. Can they be together again or will other problems force them apart?

BUY A BOOK, SAVE A LIFE

Because I love animals so much, I will be donating 25% of my royalties from the sale of INTIMATE HEALING to the Humane Society of the United States.


Angelina’s Web Site: www.angelina-rain.com 
Angelina's Blog

Comments

Maria Zannini said…
I'm so glad you agreed to visit me here--and you brought my favorite topic of conversation.

Believe it or not, my first dog was a shelter rescue and it was love at first sight. We called her Joey.

My second love at first sight was Chelly. When I saw this greasy-handed kid trying to pick her up by the fur (she in full terror), I snatched her away and never let go. I told the kid to scram and held on to her until Greg showed up with enough cash to get her out of hock. LOL.

Thank you for sharing your story.
Angelina Rain said…
Thanks Maria for letting me guest on your blog. I've wanted to be a guest here for a long time. :-)

I believe you have shared pictures of your Joey and Chelly, of course I never grow tired of doggy pictures. I love it when you share pics of your animals on the blog.
Unknown said…
That's reason enough to buy it. Is that the dog in the picture above?
Angelina Rain said…
~ Clarissa, thanks for stopping by. Yes, that picture is of my doggy.
Claudia Zurc said…
Hi Maria,
Thank you for having Angelina as a guest. That's very nice of you. I, too, follow Angelina.
Hi Angelina,
I love this blogpost. Joey is beautiful! By the picture one can tell he is happy. He's happy with you. Like you, I believ in love at first sight when it comes to animals, especially dogs. ;)
My sister used to volunteer at her local city shelter and then moved on to horse rescue. My husband volunteers every week at our local SPCA. We donate money to different organizations every time we can. Thank you for sharing this lovely story. I applaud your love, dedication, and compassion.
Claudia Zurc said…
*typo: believe (oops!)
LD Masterson said…
Aw, Joey's beautiful. All our dogs have come from shelters or unwanted litters, not counting the one who just showed up. I believe if you walk into a shelter with your heart open, someone is going to move right in. I guess you'd call that love at first sight.
Anonymous said…
Thank you for sharing your story Angelina and your dedication to donating a percentage of the book sales to the Humane Society.

Love at first sight...hm...animals definitely. Some of our best pets have been rescue animals. Your story of Joey reminds me of Brewster -- cat to your dog but the same color :) -- who'd been doped out into the big bad world when his human passed away. He was matted and infested with ear mites by the time we found each other.
Kerri Cuev said…
That is such a sweet story! What a great thing to do for our shelter friends. This Thurs I get to bring home my 2 shelter kitties!
Angela Brown said…
The only love at first sight I experienced happened with my chipmunk. But I think that had to do with the 40 weeks of bonding before she entered the world.

I can't say I've experienced that same bond with any of our past pets. However, this post has me rethinking my "wait a little longer before we get a new pet" policy.

Thanks Angelina for the guest post and to Maria for having her here. I follow both of you and love your blogs.
Tina Moss said…
Wonderful story. Joe looks like he may have some corgi mixed in with golden retriever. He is absolutely adorable. Kudos to you for rescuing him and donating a percentage of your royalties to help animals. You've got a fan in me and I'll be happy to buy your book.
Angelina Rain said…
~ Claudia, thanks for stopping by. Maria is great, I’ve been following her blog for a year I think and just love all the posts. --- Yes, I think my puppy is happy with me, lol. He’s always a joy to be around. --- I’m glad to hear your family is so involved in helping animals in need. I really respect that. I’ve been thinking of donating my time for a while, but that’s hard to do when you don’t have the time, lol.

~ LD Masterson, thank you. Aren’t rescued dogs the best? Yes, if you walk into an animal shelter with your heart open, it’s bound to be filled once you walk out.

~ raelynbarclay, thank you. Brewster sounds adorable. I hope he’s healthy now.

~ Kerri Cuev, thanks. Two new kitties you say? I bet they are adorable. I love cats. I used to be a cat person before I got Joey. Good luck with your kittens.

~ Angela Brown, thanks. Chipmunks are soooo cute! I want one. I’d set it’s never too early to get a new pet. Go for it.

~ Tina Moss, thanks. I don’t know about corgi, will have to look into that. I had someone else tell me that too. I will google that breed to see pictures as I have no idea what they look like.
Sarah Ahiers said…
well, you know how much i love dogs. I'll definitely have to check this out
Marianne Arkins said…
Joey's adorable!

I was surprised to hear he was Golden -- he looks just like a Welsh Corgi in his face! But, they're a small breed, so I'm guessing maybe not.

He's adorable. I've always been a big fan of pound puppies -- though the last dog I got I got from a breeder because the shelters wouldn't adopt to me, at least not the breed I wanted -- a retriever mix (I don't have a fenced in yard so they didn't find my house safe enough).

My new kitty came from the shelter, though :-)
Anonymous said…
I'm in love with Joey! What an adorable story and dog. So glad you found each other. It was meant to be.
Jennie Bailey said…
It was meant to be - you and Joey! What a sweet, sweet story. He is so lucky to have found you! He's gorgeous!!

I can't wait to read Intimate Healing. It rocks that you are donating a portion of your proceeds!
Talli Roland said…
What a wonderful story -- and Joey is so cute! Thanks for sharing something so lovely, Angelina.