Hurray for Tala! A couple of months ago I received an email from a woman who had found 3 beautiful dogs wandering in her neighborhood - you may remember the blog posting. Katie was not able to take them in but care for them with veterinary care and daily food and water. She contacted me for help. Rebecca, the amazing woman at the Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue, immediately agreed to take the German shepherd in and homes were found for the other two dogs. Mama, who was renamed Tala, made the long trip to Washington, D.C. and was picked up by Rebecca at the airport. Take a look below at Tala's story and the pictures of this beautiful girl:

Description: Tala was a stray in the countryside of Puerto Rico like our previous dogs Nina and Nicole. Tala, then known as Mama, gave birth to a couple puppies under the porch of a frequent visitor to the island. She is very sweet but is still learning that people are nice and will give her love and affection - good things! :) Tala is going to be checked out thoroughly once she arrives (May 4th) to re-check her for heartworms. If she is positive we will treat her before she can be adopted. If she is negative for them, then she will then be available for adoption very soon. Don't wait - ask to met her today! She's a sweet girl who warms up to those who show her kindness and love. She's great.

Update 05/05: Tala (fka Mama) must be the luckiest stray dog in Puerto Rico: she found compassionate people who cared for her and her puppies and who sponsored her flight to the U.S. to help Tala in her search for her forever home. After having seen pictures of dogs who barely survive on Puerto Rico’s Dead Dog Beach, I was not sure what to expect when I picked Tala up at the airport. At the very least, I thought she would be very stressed out by her long trip. Well, Tala defied all of my expectations: she is a beautiful petite GSD who laid calmly in her crate while I was signing the paperwork. Katie and Barbara, her benefactors in Puerto Rico, had put one of their t-shirts in the crate to comfort Tala on her flight. Tala had it bunched up between her front paws and was resting her head on it, when I first saw her ;-) Once we got to my home, I took her for a long walk which she greatly enjoyed. Not once did she pull on the leash; she walked mostly behind me or beside me, taking in the smells and the sights. She did get spooked by a little white fluffy dog; she ran ahead and looked back at me as if to say “run for your life; don’t you see that scary white thing coming our way?”

Tala has been adjusting very well to her new surroundings: we are gradually introducing her to everything, allowing her to explore things at her own pace. She was initially a bit wary of our two dogs but on the walk this morning, she would have loved to run alongside Rolf and Argos in pursuit of deer. The tail wags are increasingly frequent and she loves to be petted once she gets to know you. She warmed up to my husband after an hour or so and kept pushing her head under his hand whenever he would stop petting her. She slept quietly through the night (staying in the same spot) and has not had one accident in the house. Tala is a sweet, calm, and gentle girl who would thrive in a family that shares those characteristics. Nothing would make Tala’s friends in Puerto Rico and here in the U.S. happier than for her to find that special forever home that she so deserves.