2/20/13|Submitted by Shelly Stokes-Mogensen

Ellie May Mogensen's Story

April 2011 “Introducing Ellie May – She may not be a Golden but we love her” By Shelly Stokes-Mogensen Our family is a dog family! We have a 7 year old terrier named Rupert and a 12 year old Golden named Jesse. Since Jesse is getting up there in age we decided it’s time to get another dog. I requested a younger agile dog that is able to go hiking with me in the Mountains. In my opinion a rescue or a shelter is the only way to get a dog since so many great dogs desperately needs homes. My only criterion for a new dog was that he/she was a rescue! After we were approved we visited the shelter in Golden and met a barrage of “Golden’s”. As it turned out GRRR ended up with a female lab mix that was being “sold” on Craig’s list with another Golden. GRRR rescued both of these dogs. My husband spotted “Brandy” the lab mix during the parade of dogs at the shelter. Although we love Golden’s we were not dead set on the breed, we were open to Golden’s, Labs, mixed breeds, and any kind hearted, medium to large dog in need of a home. My husband Craig has a great eye for dogs and he recognized “Brandy” as a dog who would be a pleaser. Our only concern in taking Brandy was that she came to the shelter with Sophie who was her only friend left in the world. Mary assured me it was best for Brandy to be split up since Sophie had been a dominant dog. Brandy (now Ellie May) immediately became a member of our family. And because Ellie May is only 3 she needs a lot of exercise. So the dogs get at least 2 “events” per day. Events can be a walk, jog, hike, swim or chasing balls in the park. With Ellie on board, Jesse and Rupert are scoring extra outdoors time too. We don’t need an alarm clock to go off at 6AM; Ellie is our alarm clock, ready for event #1. When we first got Ellie she had bad dreams at night and we heard her whimpering and saw her flinching in her sleep. We have no idea what happened in her past to make her scared at night. But now she is sleeping soundly though the night and I never hear her any more. She knows she is loved! Other than a few minor “issues” such as eating the TV remote, a raw steak, and my sunglasses, she has been a perfect addition to our family. And really, how mad can you get at a dog with a face as beautiful as hers. I have thought of Sophie many times since we brought home Ellie May, and I found out she now has a loving home too.