Author: Mountain Girl Rescue

Meet some of Mountain Girl’s Recent Adoptees
Please note: All of these Happy Trails Dogs have been ADOPTED.
Available dogs can be found on MGR’s Petfinder site.

Zeek and Company

When Rachel and Jason applied to foster a puppy for Mountain Girl Rescue, they weren't expecting to fall so hard and fast for one who'd been abandoned in the Arizona desert with four siblings, all of them infested with ticks. But that's exactly what happened, and now "Fearless Zeek," the pup with "half a blue eye" and more than a few lovable quirks, is living the sweet life with Rachel, Jason, and their other two handsome canines. Zeek is a sunbather who also likes to play in the rain. He lies "across the back of my work chair like a cat," says Rachel. Of all the ways humans can fail, Foster Failing might be best. Right, Zeek?

“Spunky, Sassy, Smart as Heck.” That’s Kili!

Mountain Girl Rescue Dog Kili loves her outdoor romps, but even at 50 pounds she also likes to curl up and cuddle with humans. "Wicked smart" is how Lauryn describes her dog, and Kili has dramatic talent, too. "She howls when she's upset and wants to let you know it," says Lauryn, who along with her husband Nolan has been working on another form of expression with Kili, via speech buttons. That's right--this soon to be one-year-old pup now has a vocabulary of eight words, and has even begun to combine them in pairs. As motivated as she is to learn, however, Kili's educational goals don't keep her from getting frisky in hometown Flagstaff snow. Hey Kili, how do you say "Good Girl"?

Big Max is a Lover Boy

When you're a dog as big as Max, people don't expect you to be such a chill guy...Max's story next!

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40, Forty, The Big Four-0. This big ol’ friendly fluff, pictured snoozing on right, was spotted this winter on the median of busy AZ Highway 40 by a compassionate trucker who coaxed him into his cab and delivered him to Holbrook Animal Control. This sweet boy was soon safe in foster with a Mountain Girl family, with adoption a step away.

Pretty Molly’s family wasn’t able to care for her properly, but with the help of the good folks at Holbrook Animal Control, she came up to Flagstaff via MGR, and was readily adopted into a wonderful family last fall.

Pauline is one of ten dogs rescued through MGR’s RezDog initiative. The Big Mountain dogs were cared for by a kind family who fed and sheltered them until they were transported to Flagstaff. All of the Big Mountain dogs, from Alvin to Roberta, are living with their new families including Pauline, who received the surgery needed for living her healthy new life.

Kirby, a stray dog rescued by Holbrook Animal Control, found his perfect home, and his proper name, in a very unlikely place. Was it good karma?

When this low riding mix of who-knows-how-many breeds was picked up by Holbrook Animal Control for the second time, matted and odorous, he should have been pitiful. But volunteer Dani and the Holbrook Shelter staff were susceptible to his charm, and saw instantly that five year-old Kirby, as he was first called, was a diamond in the rough. Three weeks into his Holbrook stay, nobody had come to claim Kirby, and when Mountain Girl Rescue’s transport came to get him Pam, the driver, done in by this dog’s expressive face and calm, happy presence, asked Dani if Kirby could ride up front with her on the way to Flagstaff. Dani laughed and recommended that Pam’s windows be rolled down strategically so that Kirby’s fumes might vent out into the desert air, and they were on their way to foster Sarah’s place, with Kirby smiling all the way.

In the coming days, Sarah shared pictures of Kirby keeping her company as she worked from home. Meanwhile MGR Director Katie Harris was sorting through the many applications for Kirby’s adoption. The MGR team was not alone in recognizing his potential, but there was one very special Meet & Greet in store that would change Kirby’s name as well as his life.

When Katie took Kirby to Williams, to introduce this former stray to the residents of International Kadampa Retreat Center, the connection was instant. IKRC offers meditation classes, spiritual retreats, prayer sessions, and a wide range of teachings in Buddhism, hosting people and groups of all ages. Despite neglect, Kirby’s calm and open temperament endured. He kept his essential sweetness, and his stature will make him especially approachable to the young visitors.

Maybe it was the new “lion tail” groom, maybe it was the smile or the deep brown eyes or the crazy front feet. But Kirby is now Yogi, and his new home is with the people who’ll give him the care he has always deserved, in a place of peace, light, and love.