Mozart's story…
When UMR got the call about Mozart (then
Skippy) it was a chilling one. This adorable little 2-year-old Maltese had been taken to a
nearby shelter by his owner. She was moving and could not take Skippy with her.
Unfortunately for Skippy, the shelter was full up. They HAD to keep the strays until they
were sure their families weren't coming for them. This meant that owner turn-ins were
being killed immediately because there was no space for them. If we couldn't get Skippy
out of the shelter by the end of the day, he'd be killed.
Leslie and her husband had been on our
applicant list for quite some time. About a week earlier they were all set to adopt a
little guy through us, but his owner decided to keep him at the last minute. So we called
Leslie at work and told her what was about to happen to Skippy. Leslie didn't hesitate for
an instant, even though she had never seen Skippy and knew next to nothing about him. She
took the afternoon off and started the 2-hour drive to the shelter so she'd get there in
time to save Skippy.
Just before she got to the shelter, she
called on her cell phone to say an overturned truck had shut down the highway. There was
no way for her to get to Skippy. Following a flurry of phone calls, we found that Ronda,
one of our UMR foster moms, was working at the shelter. She took Skippy home with her,
kept him safe overnight, and Leslie made the 2-hr drive again the next day.
Skippy/Mozart's New Beginning . . .
Skippy went from certain death to a
wonderful home where he is a very happy, very much loved baby. Within days he was enjoying
a wonderful new life filled with love. He gave back that love right from the start, and
Leslie told us he is a very well-behaved young man. Leslie did think Skippy needed a new
name to go with his new life - so Skippy became Mozart, which just seems to fit this
charming boy. Leslie and her husband have made Mozart a priority in their lives.
They make sure he has everything a little
boy Maltese could want: love, toys, good care, good food, and fun. Wherever Leslie and her
husband go, Mozart is with them. Leslie tells us he is quite the hit at dinner parties and
that everyone thinks he's the most beautiful boy around. We at UMR are so happy that
Skippy was saved from a certain death and had a chance to become Mozart!
2003 Mozart Update!
This is a letter from
Mozart's mom Leslie:
"Happy New Year to you and everybody at your
organization. I can't tell you how happy we are with Mozart. I will pick up the latest
photos this weekend and send you a few. He is adorable! I love him so much; he is loving,
funny, playful, and beautiful. He is always with us, since I love walking we take long
walks and is our companion, we go shopping in Georgetown and Alexandria where they are
friendly and actually go inside. Needless to say that all our theater friends adore him
and he gets to go to the cast parties with the director's retrievers, Maggie and Smokie.
Believe me the day dogs are allowed at work, he'll be here for sure.
At night, when we get in bed and turn off the light I
feel someone staring and wagging his tail. There he is with a toy expecting to play and I
can't say no, of course!
I always recommend you to people that ask about adopting
and hope that this coming year continues to be successful for these jewels. Thanks you so
much and let me know if I can be of help.
Leslie"