As of December 7, 2013, Kevin and I have a brand new responsibility and that’s this little guy, Bickell Burk. A lot of people have been asking about him (he’s adorable, I get it), where we got him, how this happened, etc. so I’m happy to share!
Bickell Burk’s Adoption Day Details
PAWS Chicago hosted a 36-hour Adopt-a-Thon the weekend of 12/7/13, which you can see the results of here. Our decision to adopt a dog wasn’t totally spontaneous. Having been a dog person myself for my entire life and having spent a year with Kevin, I really rubbed off on him. Kevin has never had a pet (sister had a hamster, brother had a fish) and he always wanted a dog, this was something we knew would be happening eventually. We just didn’t realize that December 7, 2013 would be the day!
Kevin really is the guilty one here. All week he reminded me there was an adoption event at PAWS and kept saying we needed to go. I constantly reminded him that if we went to this event we may very well leave with a puppy. If this isn’t concrete proof of who’s always right I’m not really sure what is.
We Headed to PAWS Chicago
So, we ended up at the event that day. Kevin and I had done a full lap of all the puppies and they were of course all adorable but there wasn’t one that stuck out to us as ours. As we were about to walk out the back door, we decided to ask about just getting to pet some of them since we were there, and a volunteer showed us where to fill out the initial survey in the front lobby.
We got our “Meet Your Match” profiles (Kevin was Green and I was Orange). We figured since we’d filled out the survey we may as well take another look and headed back in. The very first puppy we see is a Husky/Corgi mix that was DEFINITELY not in there on the first lap. I asked Kevin how we’d missed this guy and he said this room was empty the first time. I knelt down like I did with all the pups, putting my hand on the glass to say hello. Unlike all the other puppies, he jumped up on the glass at me. Sure enough, he was also orange.
I can’t speak for Kevin, but I’m pretty sure that was the moment I was sold.
The Obstacles to Bickell Burk
There were a few obstacles between seeing him for the first time and getting my hands on that cute little face.
1. The sign that said “not available for adoption today” on his room.
2. The contradicting sign that said “not available until Noon”.
3. No one knowing why those signs were on his door at all.
4. No one nearby had keys.
Disclaimer: none of this was even that big of a deal looking back. But when there’s nothing but thin glass between you and your puppy, it seems like forever.
Finally, a key-bearing gentleman came by and said we could go in and play with him. So he asked someone, and Sue (who you’ll soon read is all-mighty) said we could play with the puppy known as “Romeo.” As were playing and ‘awwing’ like crazy, a vet-tech lady knocks obnoxiously and points to the “not available until Noon” sign, but our hero gentlemen, yells “SUE SAID IF THEY’RE OUT HERE, THEY’RE AVAILABLE!” Hell yes!
Preparing to Bring Bickell Burk Home
After a couple of necessary phone calls to the roomies (Jill, Kevin’s Dad) we decided we we’re bringing him home! We signed papers, told him we’d be back, then had to catch a train home. We needed to bring a car to the city to bring him home in! This was an adventure in itself as the cab driver took the most backwoods route imaginable. We ended up missing the 1:30 pm train and had to wait until 2:30 pm, which was insufferable knowing we had a puppy to get back to ASAP!
When we finally made it back to PAWS after the longest six hours of Kevin’s life, and I’ll never forget the moment they went to the back room to grab our Bickell Burk for us and he came out with his PAWS Chicago Alumni bandana on. It was the coolest feeling seeing how excited he was and knowing what an awesome thing we had done. The irony of course being he was too rambunctious to get a good photo, so they didn’t post our adoption picture to the PAWS site, but we cut the small losses.
PAWS Chicago Details
For those around the Chicago-land area and looking for a pet please consider stopping by the PAWS Chicago Adoption Center. The little guys there need a home just like you need a furry friend!
PAWS Chicago is located at 1997 N. Clybourn Ave in Lincoln Park, just 2 blocks west of the Armitage Brown Line. Parking is street parking with a few nearby lots, so plan accordingly.
