Welcome Lilliput Snoopy Gauss!

Lily at 3 years with a well-loved toy

Lily's Story

While on a visit to northern Mexico in 2009, a family from Southern California came across "miniature poodle" puppies for sale on the street. The mother and daughter convinced the father to buy one. Sadly, once back home they neglected the puppy to the point of abuse.

When Lily (not original name) was 7 months of age the father begged a relative (Susan*) to take the "stinky", matted dog away. Being an animal lover, Susan agreed to find Lily a new home. Her mother was willing to adopt Lily and raised her with love and tenderness.

Imagine waking up to this face every day!

Unfortunately the story doesn't end there. Susan's mother was diagnosed with cancer, which ended her life in May of 2012.

Lily went to live with Susan's family (including other pets) in a rural town in Southern California. Before long, Susan found that Lily was being attacked by larger dogs or coyotes when roaming in the backyard. This animal-loving home was ultimately not the right fit for Lily either.

Susan was committed to rehoming Lily with a trusted friend or family member. After a few months of fruitless searching, she mentioned Lily in a Facebook comment on her friend Amy's page. This is where I come in.

Amy is a friend of mine who recently adopted a dog. I saw a photo she'd posted on Facebook with her dog, with Susan's comment below it. I immediately contacted Susan and within two days determined that Lily might be the perfect pup to clinch my decision to get a dog!

Lily coming home with me

My mother offered to drive with me from San Francisco to meet and retrieve Lily over a 4-day weekend. Susan and her family greeted us with open arms and sweet Lily was happy to meet us as well. I was pleased to see that unlike many people's online dating profiles, Lily was even cuter in person than in her photos.

Nothing is perfect, however; my mom's 60lb male standard poodle's idea of play was intimidating to Lily. This was a concern because my mom and I are each other's go-to dog sitters. I decided to take Lily home nonetheless, as I knew I could separate them if needed.

While my mother took the driver's seat of her Prius, Lily made herself at home on my lap. She seemed to bond with me in no time flat, as if she knew I would keep her safe.

The next day we made it home to San Francisco to begin Lily's next chapter. I can confidently say that Lily loves my (our!) home and neighborhood, and we plan to live happily ever after!

*Name changed

-Ilana

P.S. It took weeks but thankfully Lily grew to tolerate and even play with my mom's dog Rafi.