By Rebekah Yancey  

The Yancey family grew by four paws and a tail this past Friday.  

It began while I was at the office, looking for the Pet of the Week for the newspaper. This is something I do every week for our Lifestyles page, sharing the photo an adoptable pet at the Morgan County Animal Shelter in Hartselle.  

Well, while scrolling, I came across a photo of a blue heeler/shepherd mix named Dorothy who just captivated me. I could have sworn she was smiling, and I knew then I wanted to bring her home.  

I’ve been asking my husband for months now if we could expand our family, and he’s been just as persistent, saying we didn’t need the responsibility yet, and we needed to wait until we both work less – you know, all those things grown-ups say that make a lot of sense but were not what I wanted to hear.  

My husband, though, has always been a little obsessed with heelers. When I sent him a picture and didn’t get an automatic “no,” I knew he wanted her, too.  

My sister went with me to the shelter to visit Dorothy, and it wasn’t very long until I was in love. She doesn’t meet a stranger, and within an hour, she was attached and protective of me.   

I had never seen a dog that didn’t pull on a leash, but this sweet girl – “Dottie,” for short – went into Pet Depot and behaved like a champ. She also loves to ride in the car, albeit the front seat. Pobody’s nerfect.  

We had a great weekend with our girl. The cat was upset at first, but I’m glad to say they have become friends now after being separated for a couple of days; well, at least they’re tolerating one another, which is progress in my book.  

If you’re thinking about adding a pet to your family, I urge you to visit the Morgan County Animal Shelter. They have so many sweet adoptable pets there who are just waiting for their people to rescue them.  

The shelter is located at 1314 Industrial Drive, and the folks there are so excited to match pets with people. I don’t think you’ll regret it!