Dog adoption

Rescue Dog Diary: Taming Of The Wild Beast—Cookie’s Transition To Civilization

So Cookie got a new family of her own and she took to us immediately. I don’t think she looked backed once. She was ecstatic. But she had no idea how to use man-made structures, how to live indoors and what the rules might be. Cookie’s story Cookie grew up outside, pretty much by herself. That’s all she knew. Suddenly…

by Jana Rade

Losing a Heart Dog: Adopting A New Dog While Grieving For The Dog Of My Life

If you never lost a heart dog, it is impossible for you to understand the amount of pain that brings. To draw you a picture, I lost Jasmine, my heart dog, and my brother within one month. Jasmine’s passing hurt more. Jasmine Jasmine has been and always will be the dog of my life. She’s the one who turned me…

by Jana Rade

Adopting a New Dog: From The End Of A Lead Line To Casa Jasmine—Meet Cookie, Our New Adoptee

After Jasmine’s passing, I knew we were going to adopt a dog at some point but no, I wasn’t ready to do so yet. I thought we needed a good long break. And then the urge came to start looking. I felt that Jasmine wanted me to do this and I felt strongly it was the best way to honor…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of America, and an award-winning author in my spare time. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Endless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care into my own hands. I learned the hard way that simply seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to finally get a diagnosis for her initial issue. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to use 20 years of hard-earned experience to save others from the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way, as I did.

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