Ree, 3-Year-Old Rescue Dog

Owner Tami Cook shares her story:

How Tami got her:
I bought her as a birthday present for myself. She's a rescue pup from the Humane Society. We bonded when I got pink eye and was quarantined to my house. She was only like seven pounds at the time.

Ree's most impressive characteristic:
How quickly she learned how to sit, shake, lie down and stay. I can put a piece of meat on the ground in front of her, tell her to stay, leave the room and the meat will be untouched when I come back.

Girl's best friend?
Ree takes after me. She is extremely hyper. (It's probably the Dalmatian in her.) That is our worst challenge together. She jumps on all my guests. I got her to quit jumping on me, but she still jumps on my friends. It hurts because she weighs 70 pounds. I have to take her to another room sometimes, because she won't calm down.

Girlfriends' Getaway
Ree is a great watchdog. I feel safe when I take her on solo camping trips. My neighbors can sleep soundly knowing that my dog will bark if there is some type of intruder on the block.

She's good exercise:
I have been forced to exercise every day because of my dog. You can't just leave a dog with so much energy or a dog of her size in the house all the time. That has been a very positive change for me. On the days that I don't run with her, she will run next to me while I'm on my bicycle. Those are the days she behaves best.

…And good for the marriage:
Well, my husband and I have two dogs, so we're not allowed to split up until they die, because our dogs and us make a pack.

Advice to others thinking of adopting a dog?
I've owned many dogs. Living in a town that isn't very pet friendly, I would suggest to future pet owners to only get a dog over 35 pounds if you own a house. There was a period of time when I lived at Land Between the Lakes because I couldn't find an apartment that allowed pets.

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