Living Pretty With Your Pets: Finding Silver Pennies
Today’s guest is someone who I met in person at Haven. We didn’t have that much time to talk as I would have wanted to but I am glad I had the chance to meet Danielle of Finding Silver Pennies.
I have to admit that I have serious lifestyle and home envy. She is lucky enough to live so close to the beach. I’ve always dreamed of it and her house is so pretty too.
Hi Everyone! I’m Danielle from Finding Silver Pennies! I’m so thrilled to be here! Julia noticed my lovely little girl, Poppy, on an image I shared on Instagram and thought she looked so similar to a family pet. I get this a lot with our dog, she seems to be a doppelganger for many dogs out there. So without further ado here’s Poppy’s story:
I am a dog person. Growing up we had a Candy, an English Foxhound, and Honey, a toy poodle, so I really wanted our two boys to grow up with a dog as well. When our youngest, Conor, was one I started getting a little broody, but I just knew I couldn’t handle another baby. My husband was working from home at the time and I was also home with the boys (this is before the blog), DIY and furniture makeovers. I started thinking we really needed to get a dog. Right now! We knew we wanted a rescue dog. I proceeded to spend hours online looking at rescue sites and shelters. My desire turned into a full blown obsession. Just after Christmas I saw Poppy’s picture online at Sterling Animal Shelter’s website. It said she was going to be available for adoption on January 5th. I told Luke we had to go and meet this dog. So we all piled into the car and drove miles to see her. We were first in line. This is when we met her:
She was so little and so were my boys for that matter!
She gave us hugs with her head and we just fell in love with her on that spot. If you’re local, I highly recommend Sterling Animal Shelter for your pet adoption. Poppy was 12 weeks old when we brought her home. She is a lab / flat coat retriever mix and was from an unwanted litter on a farm in Virginia. Many dogs come up to Massachusetts because we have no kill shelters here. She LOVED the snow and still does:
Conor and Poppy were fast friends and grew up together:
Poppy is the most gentle and loving dog and is so wonderful with all children. She can sense if little ones are scared of her and she’ll lay down next to them. She has taught us so much about the “unconditional love” only a pet can give. She is always there for us with her warm brown eyes, soft as velvet coat and gentle kisses. She is bigger than she was when we first got her but just as loving. She goes everywhere with us. From yard sale-ing truck rides to long walks on the beach.
We brought her with us on a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard and, being a black dog, she was like a local celebrity:
If you read my blog then you already know this, but back in March, Poppy was sprayed by a skunk and it was so horrible. This intense burning smell was a million times worse than road kill skunk. We bathed Poppy in a peroxide concoction which ended up bleaching her tips and I had to febreeze the kids for school. It was horrible and resulted in having to rip up the rug in the sunroom and redo the room.
She adores being outside in our yard. She sits amongst the roses or on the lilies and thinks she can catch the squirrels. She hasn’t yet but has been successful at catching some bunnies and other smaller animals (sigh). She thinks she’s bringing me lovely gifts. I often have to yell “chicken”, her favorite food, to get her to come in. Her favorite spot in the house is under Conor’s bed:
She enjoys greeting guests and is really socialable when she isn’t napping under the bed.
We walk the boys to school every day and then walk around the harbor or on the beaches. I’m so glad and proud to have her by my side, her fan-like tail wagging on the way.
{photo by Egle Ruth Photography) |
We are the lucky ones to have found her!
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i love the shelter dog quote- she is sooo beautiful! and so sweet!
She is the sweetest, Cassie, and scared of her own shadow. She hates the dyson and when I sneeze. x
Those ears! And, the skunk situation…oh my!
Dana, you should see them when they get wet – they look crimped. Oh, the skunk was soooo bad. So bad. Hope that doesn’t happen again…
She is so beautiful and look at that very special face. She has such loving kind eyes. Can sure see why Danielle and family love her so much. I’d take her in a heart beat.
We have a black lab/border collie we got thru a Petsmart adoption fair. He was a year old and had been shuffled from shelter to shelter, had been abused, wish we’d had him as a puppy as he’d have never been abused. He is so good, loving, smart, bright. He wasn’t what we went looking for but he must have been meant for us, we love him so much and we say he’s a little boy walking around in a dog suit.
We’d had a miniature black cocker spaniel from time she was 4 months old to little over 14 yr. old. She was quite the character and loved going with us in hubs big semi truck. We got her at shelter in Helena, Mt. We got her on a Wed and on Sat. we left to be gone for couple months. She learned to be a trucker doggie and loved sitting on her Daddy’s lap when he was driving. She did everything with us. She had an immune system problem tho and we almost lost her several times. She was our little girl.
We have a cat that adopted us in KY which we think must be about 12 now and now we have 5 chickens, we live in western CO. The chickens came to us from our daughter’s neighbors who were moving couldn’t have chickens so we took them. We have almost 1/2 acre so we have plenty of room for them. They go all over our back yard all day and put themselves to bed when it’s getting dark. Our dog and cat are very good, don’t bother them at all, the dog thinks he’s there to protect them.
We sure enjoy the eggs we get from chickens, keep our daughter/family in eggs all the time. As you can see we’re animal people. Love them and it’s good for us to have something to take care of, our furry and feathery kidz.
Sure enjoyed hearing about Poppy’s story and seeing photos of her with her family. So cute and sweet. All they want is to be loved and give unconditional love back. Happy Fall
Love your story! We got our one get at petsmart adoption too, but he unfortunately passed away last year of kidney failure. He was eight when we adopted him and he lived with us for eight more years. They bring such unconditional love to us and I wish everyone could appreciate them.
Have a great weekend.
Beautiful story. I don’t think Pet Smart does those adoptions up here, Jane Ellen. Julia, so sorry to hear about your loss. So hard saying goodbye to a family pet. x
What a sweet story and a beautiful dog! We just fostered a dog for a group that sends shelter animals from here (Georgia) to Massachusetts, Maine, and New York (our little guy wound up in Maine)….so glad you and Poppy found each other!
Gretchen, that is so lovely that you foster dogs. I think Poppy was fostered by a really wonderful family because someone had trained her before we got her. She’d scratch the door to let us know when she had to go out. We’re so blessed to have her.
This is such a great story Danielle & Julia! I just found out my sweet Sunny is sick and not going to be with us much longer and I love reading these sweet stories even more right now. Thank you!
Thank you, Summer! I’m so sorry your Sunny is sick 🙁 So hard when there isn’t much you can to do help them. Thinking of you. x
Danielle, what a beautiful family, home and fur-angel, Poppy. She is just beautiful and looks so much like one of our rescues, Kynzzi Katte, that has since crossed Rainbow Bridge. She was adopted by us the moment we saw her. She was a Flat-Coat Retriever and such a joy to us. She was so very smart and gentle and would not even allow my husband and I to play fight. That was not allowed under her rule. Thanks so much for sharing and I hope y’all are together for many, many years to come. Shelter dogs are so special – don’t shop – adopt! All animals (domestic, wild and farm) are so special and intelligent and deserve so much more than some people give them. Cruelty and abuse to any and all animals must stop. They all deserve at the very least humane treatment. Please be an animal advocate.
Debbie, your rescue Kynzzi Katte, sounds like a wonderful dog. I had never heard of Flat Coats before Poppy but they are wonderful. So true what you say about shelter pets. So many wonderful animals looking for a forever home. x
I remember when you got her Danielle! She’s beautiful and what a sweet personality, she has lots of gentle Golden Retriever characteristics. I wish Rio slept under my Connor’s bed, instead of on it!
Oh, Pam, she is the greatest dog! Well, she has gone under our bed when she’s really scared but it is hard for her to get out again…
Love this post! Thanks for introducing this great blog and adorable pup to us. Even when our pets get in trouble like getting skunked, we will always love them no matter what!
So true and glad you liked it.
Very true, Tori! So glad you enjoyed Poppy’s story 🙂
Shes absolutely beautiful. I can only imagine how horrible that skunk fiasco was. Your room looks gorgeous now though. Thanks for sharing Poppy with us.