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Meet the New Member of the Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch Team!

The Animal Rescue League rocks. Here's why.

I am officially a person who buys a dog a little pink bandanna.

This weekend, I became the proud parent of Bailey, a beautiful Terrier mix who had been living at the shelter in the East Liberty area for a little less than a month. I have never been one who is obsessed with dogs, but the other night, it just hit me that it was time. I work from home, I’m super active, and while I am always out meeting with neighbors and sources for stories, I thought it’d be nice to have a little sidekick. Bailey is my new assistant, if you will.

Now, she will accompany me on hunts for stories in the neighborhood, and she already has been invited to come along on a story interview this week!

But, my motivation for this column is all about the . It’s just a seven-minute drive away and the people who work there are so kind, helpful and friendly. Andy Kolonay of Friendship and Claire Carr of Regent Square, who both work at the shelter, helped us with the adoption process and their hearts are fully with these adorable animals who just need someone to love them.

Bailey was given up for adoption because her former owners were away 12 hours a day and said she was too active. By the looks of her huge smile, I think Bailey is already happy in her new home and I cannot wait to take her to Frick Park so she can run the trails.

The folks at Animal Rescue League do everything they can to make adoptions affordable and possible for people who might be worried about vet bills, food costs and more. Bailey had all of her shots, she is spayed and totally ready for her new life. The adoption cost depends on the dog, but I paid about $112 for Bailey, which is a donation to the shelter—a great investment if you ask me.

People who adopt also get a collar, leash, a free bag of food (which is pretty huge) and, they offer veterinarian services at a lower cost. After adopting, the cost of your first required check-up with your new dog is virtually cut in half.

The point is, if you’re on the fence about adopting a new member of your family, just go for it! The Animal Rescue League can help you make it happen in a stress-free way. Bailey already has brought so much joy into this home and she has such a great attitude. If you see us taking a walk this week, be sure to say hello!

A big thank you goes out to Cleda Klingensmith, who provides us with a new Patch Pet each week, featuring animals that need to be adopted. Check out some of those pets .

Rebecca Hickok August 13, 2011 at 10:24 pm
bailey is welcome at waverly any time - bring her tomorrow!
Stephanie Rex August 13, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Yay! :-) I'll do that! You will love her. :-)
ClumberKim August 14, 2011 at 12:43 am
My new puppy Hudson would love to meet Bailey for a Frick Park walk.
Stephanie Rex August 14, 2011 at 12:52 am
Hey Kim! That sounds great! Email me! :-)
Mike Jones August 14, 2011 at 02:21 am
I love the Animal Rescue League. Got my mutt, Riley, there last October. He's also my Patch sidekick, and tagged along for a house fire on Friday.
Stephanie Rex August 14, 2011 at 02:35 am
That's awesome!!!
Nina Stahlberg August 14, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Congratulations - what a wise thing to do. You will now know what unconditional love is. Bailey is a lucky dog and will be your BFF
Nina
Stephanie Rex August 14, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Thanks Nina! We bought her some treats at Animal Nature today! We will be back very soon. She is going to be VERY spoiled!
Jill Powell August 15, 2011 at 01:44 am
YAY! I volunteer at the ARL and wrote up Bailey's internet biography!! She is a great girl - Congratulations to you both!!!
ClumberKim August 15, 2011 at 07:46 pm
You may have to email me. :) Or tweet.
Stephanie Rex August 16, 2011 at 01:23 am
Thanks Jill! :-)
Cindi Lash August 23, 2011 at 05:48 pm
Good for you, Steph, and good for Bailey. All our dogs are shelter or foster dogs, and they have always been wonderful additions to our family. Happy times to you both!

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victoria impavido June 15, 2013 at 03:17 pm
You might try looking behind the apartments on the Sherman block (1900 block of Monongahela) becauseRead More there are always stray cats behind there. Don't go alone because it doesn't look very safe. Start looking behind the Boomerang bar all the way to behind Maldini's.
Mary June 13, 2013 at 10:38 pm
I've been going to Frick Park for over 40 years and I've seen plenty of off-leash dogs lunge at eachRead More other. And I don't care how cute you think your dog is I don't want it coming up and sniffing me.
Troy Gavazzi June 14, 2013 at 07:17 am
Shannon, your comment welcoming RPD "finally bringing some sanity" implies that the restRead More of us lack it. Wy would you think that people who want illegal and dangerous activities eliminated and enforced? The fact is that many have had dangerous and even harmful encounters with unleashed dogs even though you "have never seen it". I do agree with you that we should all "just go to the park and have some fun". That would best be done of all dog owners kept their dogs properly leashed and utilize the OLEAs.
Erin Corbett June 17, 2013 at 02:20 pm
I have two small terriers who, as being terriers, must be leashed at all times while outside due toRead More their strong instinct to search out squirrels, chimpunks, and other small rodents. The only time I take them off-leash is in the designated area that is fenced, and they always have a great time. My husband and I decided after one of these visits to walk a few miles on the trails, which we'd never done before. And I can honestly say that we will never do it again. My dogs are friendly with other dogs when all involved are off-leash, but my smallest dog gets quite insecure when she is leashed and a strange dog approaches her. I mean, if you were restrained and a complete stranger approached you without any warning, it would be quite startling! Such as it is for my little one. In order to prevent a possible altercation, I have to physically scoop her up because when she gets frightened it's possible that she could bite. She IS an animal. We have to remember this. Anyway, this particular day on the trails got off to quite a horrible start, as we were walking along and an off-leash dog approached and appeared to be stalking toward my dogs. Its owner made no attempt to restrain him or her and only yelled out that the dog was friendly. My smallest dog sensed the other dog's energy and jumped up on my legs to be picked up. I did so, and the other dog CHARGED me and my dog. My husband was trying to restrain our other dog, who was now barking at this off-leash dog, and the entire experience left me extremely shaken up. I informed the man that it was against the law to have his dog off-leash and he was not in the least apologetic. Shannon, the only thing I agree with about your comments is that yes, we should all be able to just get along. Although most dogs were off-leash this day at the park, a vast majority of people, when they saw us approaching, would leash their dogs. For that, I really appreciate it. But for everyone's safety I really do think that people need to start obeying the law and leashing their dogs at all times, except in the designated areas. It's for their safety as well as the safety of everyone else using the park. Thank you.
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Beautiful 2003 Lincoln Aviator for Sale. See it on craigslist:Read More http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/3814108799.html