Dallas

NBC 5's Meredith Land Surprises Family With Rescue Puppy

My 8-year-old daughter, McCall, has been asking for a dog for at least three years.

With two full-time jobs, a younger son and strange hours (me), we put the furry friend off.

I always said, “When everybody is out of diapers, we’ll get one.”

Every Christmas, McCall would ask for a dog. 

Santa always brought her a stuffed animal dog.

Last year we got a fish, but she told my friend, “you can’t hug a fish.”

McCall was right.

This year’s ramp-up to the holidays brought out her desire once again.

She put a picture frame next to her bed. Inside the frame, she wrote on paper, “Dear Mommy and Daddy, this is where I’ll put a picture of my dog! (If I ever have one) Love, McCall.”

FRAME
Chelena Goldman
Frame McCall gave to her parents in hopes of getting a dog one day.

Clearly, the situation had escalated.

I started asking around. My friend, Jan Rees-Jones, who has dedicated much of her life to saving the lives of animals, encouraged me to look at local shelters.

Every year at NBC 5 we "Clear the Shelters," which means we dedicate a weekend to asking the public to adopt pets from local shelters. Fees are waived in dozens of local shelters as thousands of pets find new, forever homes. It’s something we are all proud to be a part of.

So, I visited with the good people at the SPCA of Texas in Dallas by myself (by the way, if you haven’t been to this incredible facility, it is a must!). I told them that my daughter really wanted a Yorkie. They said they would keep their ears open, but it wasn’t too likely.

Weeks later, I got an email from Maura Davies at the SPCA saying a female Yorkie was one of 117 animals seized in October from a puppy mill in Hunt County.

She said, “Unbeknownst to us, this momma dog was pregnant at the time with a litter of three.”

There were two boys and a girl. Maura and I agreed this may be a Christmas miracle!

Meredith Land Surprises Daughter With Rescue Puppy

In Maura’s office at the SPCA, I held all three and my heart melted when one of the boys clung to me and snuggled me with his fluffy fur. It just felt right.

Two days later, I picked him up while my children were in school. When they walked in the living room, I had our little Yorkie pup on the sofa with a red and white bow around his neck.

As my daughter ran to him in surprise, and maybe shock, I videotaped the moment knowing one day she would want to look back on this much-anticpated day.

As she smiled, a tear streamed down her face. A tear of joy. She looked at me and said, “I want to name him Tiny.”

So Tiny, it is. Our hearts are so full!

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