I've always wanted a dog like my grandparents' dog. Shannon was the perfect dog for me — not too big, not too small — and she loved going everywhere with me. When I finished graduate school, I moved to the Berkshire mountains and started working for Tripod, Inc. It was finally time to find my own Shannon.

I searched high and low for another pup just like her, but she wasn't to be found. For nine months, I searched the local humane societies, newspapers, shelters, and the Internet. Every morning before I went to work I'd run through a list of bookmarks I made of animal shelters within driving distance.

One morning I found her. I stared at the picture of her on the Buddy Dog Humane Society Web site, unable to believe my eyes that I'd finally found my ideal pup. I took a deep breath and grabbed the phone, dialed up Buddy Dog, and realized that my computer was still connected to the Internet ...

"Yes she's still here," came a kind voice from the other end of the line, after I'd gotten my phone hooked up again. "She just came up from North Carolina with her two sisters. One of them is already reserved. They are very shy, but I think with a little love they'll turn around." I replied that I'd be there as soon as I could.

I grabbed my fiancé Craig, and we hopped in the Blazer for the three-hour drive to Sudbury. You gotta love a guy like that. When we arrived at Buddy Dog, Blondie, Lemon, and Flying Nun were in an outdoor exercise pen and they scurried away as soon as we approached them.

Prepared to spend some time getting to know their true personalities, we settled down for a long wait. Less than a minute and a trail of treats later, Blondie, the lead dog that was already spoken for, was in my lap begging for more treats. About 15 minutes later, Craig had Lemon eating out of his hand and licking him like he was a popsicle. Nun still wanted nothing to do with us.

We stayed with them for a good while longer. Lemon was showing potential, while Nun still hid in a corner. We asked one of the shelter's staff to take Blondie out of the pen so that we could see the dogs' personalities when their leader wasn't there. Lemon was definitely warming up to us, and miracle of miracles, Nun let me touch her. Nun had the potential to be a very loving dog, but Lemon had won our hearts. We filled out an adoption application, put a hold on her, and went home to discuss every pro and con of adopting a timid dog.

I was a little worried, because I knew that this was a life-long commitment. Lemon had been so cautious when we first saw her. I had never met a dog that didn't immediately howl for joy and run straight for me. I must have smelled funny or something!! Craig and I talked and talked about it, then talked about it some more, and we decided that the best thing for Lemon was to give her a good home, even if she'd always be a little shy.

We drove back to Sudbury the next day and picked her up. She was very sad to leave her sisters, but the ride in the Blazer was pretty cool. Thank heavens she likes car rides!

Well, it's been two weeks now, and Lemon has become Kira. All of the dogs in our extended family have Irish names — why mess with tradition? Kira is my best friend and a brave little soul! We've been to the vet, the farm, the laundromat, the gas station, the pet store, the bookstore and, this morning, we went to the fields and the river to play with Neil and Jody's dogs, Misa, Tess, and Juno. Kira learned to run, jump, play, and swim in one morning. I think we're going to be all right.

— Karry