It was Internet dating for all three of mine.
I moved back home to take care of my dad when he was dying of cancer. He had always been a huge dog lover (we always had dogs in our family growing up), and it's a big house with a big fenced yard. So I started looking on Petfinder.com for a Golden Retriever. I saw Jackie's picture and immediately fell in love. They listed her as a 1-1/2 year old Golden mix (maybe with German Shepherd and Collie). She had been rescued from the pound so there was no background on her. My dad, brother and I went to meet Jackie and we all fell in love. They were calling her Ashley, but that name just didn't do it for any of us. So I named her Jackie, after my last Golden named Crackerjack. As depressed as my dad was at the end, Jackie made him laugh out loud just by being a goofy dog. She helped my dad at the end, and she helped me get through losing him. Here's Jackie's Petfinder.com picture:
[img]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/Pegskids/firstpic.jpg[/img]
Then I decided Jackie needed another dog for company, so I started looking at Petfinder.com again and found Maya, a 1-1/2 year old Golden/Husky mix who was an owner-surrender. I took Jackie to meet her at her foster home and they hit it off right from the start. So six months after I adopted Jackie, Maya joined our family. Here's Maya's Petfinder.com picture:
[img]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/Pegskids/Maya-firstpic.jpg[/img]
I always check out Petfinder.com (it's like an addiction for me; I can't stop!). For about six months I had seen an adorable mini-Jackie named Pooh Bear on the website for the shelter I had adopted Jackie and Maya from. He would be off the site for a while and then he would be back. Every time I saw him my heart just melted. After he showed up there for about the 4th time, I decided he was meant to be mine. So I took Jackie and Maya over to meet Pooh Bear at his foster home and they all got along famously. Pooh Bear was even grooming their ears while we were there. The next day I went to pick up Pooh Bear and take him home. He was SOOOOO excited when he saw me come to get him! The first day home he started limping and it was discovered that he had hip dysplasia. So a month after I adopted him, he had FHO surgery. He's made a complete recovery and is a happy, healthy, active boy. I can't find Pooh Bear's Petfinder.com picture, but here's one of the first pictures I took of him.
[img]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/Pegskids/Pooh-firstday.jpg[/img]