Jocelyne & Fiona Rose: She's My Best Friend

Your name: Jocelyne Arcoite

Your dog's name: Fiona Rose

Your location: Derry, NH

What made you decide to rescue a dog (as opposed to buying one)? It was unintentional. At the time we weren’t sure if we would rescue or not when we were ready to get a dog. It’s the best decision we’ve ever made and I’ll never not rescue from now on.

How did you come to find your rescue dog and how did you know he/she was 'the one'? My husband had come across a post of Fiona on Facebook and felt the need to show me as he typically did when he found a cute dog up for adoption. I always said no to getting a dog because we live in an apartment and we had very busy social lives at the time. There was just something about her, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was randomly popping in and out of my brain all day and all night. We went to bed that night and I woke up thinking about her! I hadn’t done that with any other dog we had come across. I just had to meet her.

If applicable, please name the rescue/shelter (and location) your dog came from. East Windsor CT

If you and your pup had an entire day to do only fun things together, what would your day look like? I would take her everywhere she’s never been before so she could explore everything. The beach, the mountains, the city. And of course I’ll pack her favorite snacks, peanut butter and watermelon!

If you had two magic minutes where your dog could understand everything you said, what would you tell her/him? I would tell Fiona how grateful and lucky I am to have her. She’s completely changed my outlook on having a dog and I don’t regret anything. My love for her is so strong and that’s why I give her as many hugs and kisses as I can everyday. She’s my best friend.

What would be your dog's theme song? Joan Jett - Bad Reputation

How does your pup make your life better? She makes me smile everyday, whether it’s being silly playing with her toys or adorably curled up sleeping on the couch, she melts my heart. Just knowing she’s always here with me truly helps me through everyday life.

What do you want the world to know about rescuing a dog? Rescuing Fiona was not all sunshine and rainbows. It has been one of the most difficult things my husband and I have ever been through together. I just want people to understand the amount of work and patience you may need to have when rescuing, especially a dog with zero background information, like Fiona.

Anything else we should know? The day I met Fiona she was wild with energy! I was skeptical at first but then she let me give her scratchies and wouldn’t let me stop. She was found roaming the streets and was brought to a very small shelter in CT. She had a collar with no tags and microchipped but not registered to anyone. She was in the shelter for a month and no one called for her. All we know about her is that she was microchipped in October 2015. There were only two girls running the shelter at the time and could only be there a few hours a day because they were both also in law enforcement. Fiona was alone for about 20 hours a day for a month. She had no manners or training, she barely knew sit. A few weeks after we brought Fiona home she went into heat. My wild dog just got more wild. 6 weeks had gone by and I was getting closer to being in the clear to get her spayed. Fiona’s body had a different plan, she went straight into a false pregnancy! Thankfully it was mild but still not how we thought getting out first dog would go. We had to do private training classes with her because she’s unfortunately animal aggressive. She also was not so great when meeting new people. These issues have still yet to be resolved but I’m so proud of how far she’s come. We’re still trying to work with her on many things but she’s really a great dog in so many different ways. Fiona is such a sweet girl and an amazing snuggler with so much love to give! She lets me do just about anything to her, including dressing her up for photoshoots. I swear she secretly loves it! She can be quite the character at times, very goofy but hardly graceful. She’s constantly tripping up the stairs or getting herself stuck in a blanket. I often refer to her as a sour patch kid because of their commercials, she can do something so sassy but then 10 minutes later we’re snuggling on the couch and I’m telling her what a good girl she is. I wouldn’t trade her for the world. One of the pictures I’m submitting is her original adoption posting.