Tonka the Puppy that Nobody Wanted, my pug mix daug dog

Tonka, along with his 2 brothers and 1 sister, was born one cold night in April in my laundry room. Tonka's mother had a hard time delivering the litter and as a result one of T's brothers died (he is buried under the hydrangea bush in my back yard next to my beloved Rottweiler Thor and Pug Zoe).

From the moment he was born you could tell that Tonka was different from his brother and sister. His coat was a dirty brown color while the other puppies coats were a beautiful strawberry blond. He was much larger than the other puppies, almost twice as big, and his nose was much larger and wider. He acted differently then his brother and sister too. He moved around like he was a week or two old, and he absolutely NEVER strayed from his mother. He was permanently attached to her and never stopped eating.

Within days of their birth Tonka's brother and sister were adopted. A family in Washington DC wanted his sister and a young couple in San Francisco wanted his brother. But nobody wanted Tonka. My husband told me not to worry, "someone will want him." But noone did.

After a few weeks a friend from work approached me and said she was interested in Tonka. She had been at another friend's house over the weekend and her daughter had fallen in love with Tonka's sister Mollie from another litter. I was happy and relieved. That is until the next day when she told me that her husband didn't want another dog. Strike One.

Weeks turned into a month and the puppies continued to grow. I kept in contact with the baby's new families letting them know about everything they were doing. But I didn't have anyone to tell about Tonka's progress. "Don't worry," my husband would tell me, "Someone will want Tonka." But nobody did.

About a week later one of my son's friends came over and said that he wanted to adopt Tonka. He was leaving for college in the fall but he was sure his parents would take good care of him while he was gone. I was excited that Tonka finally had a family, until the next day when he informed me that his mother said "NO WAY". Strike Two

The morning for the puppies to leave for their new families finally arrived and as I put the puppies in their shipping carriers I looked over to the bed where Tonka lay with his mother. I felt awful for him. He didn't have a new family to go to. No one would be spending the morning anxiously awaiting his arrival then showering him with hugs and kisses when he finally got there. "Don't worry," my husband told me again, "Someone will want him." But nobody did.

The next day I took Tonka to work with me. People at the school noticed him right away and the librarian said she would like to take him but couldn't because she was going out of town. Later in the afternoon a fifth grade teacher said she wanted Tonka for her 3 year old son but she needed to check with her brother first (they live together). She said she would facebook me and let me know when she was going to come and pick him up. I was happy-I knew that she would provide a wonderful home for Tonka. She facebooked me around 6:00 and told me that she didn't want him. Strike Three

That same evening I was contacted by the couple who adopted Tonka's brother. They wanted to know if Tonka was still available because they had a friend who had fallen in love with their puppy. I let them know he was and became excited when they told me he would grow up spending each day playing with his brother. They contacted me a day later and let me know that their friend had changed his mind. Strike Four "Don't worry," my husband told me for the hundredth time, "Someone will want him."

The next afternoon another friend from work facebooked me and wanted to know if "Taco" was still available because she had a friend who had to have his 15 year old dog put to sleep and was looking for a puppy. I told her that his name was "Tonka" and yes he was still available. She assured me that Tonka would have an awesome home with her friend and I was glad until she facebooked me later and said that her friend had found another dog. Strike Five "Don't worry," my husband began, "Yeah, Yeah I know someone will want him, " I replied.

The next day our neighbor's children saw Tonka playing with his mother in my backyard and asked if they could "babysit" him. When their mother brought him back later she said that she wanted to keep him but needed to convince her husband. She asked if she could come and get him the next day and let him spend time with her family. I agreed and bright and early the next morning her children knocked at my door. "Finally," I thought, "Tonka will have a good home." Later that afternoon my neighbor returned Tonka and said her husband would not let her keep him. Strike Six

I picked up the puppy and as I gazed into his sad brown eyes my heart broke. My husband approached me as I was stroking Tonka's soft fur and asked me what was wrong. I told him that the neighbors didn't want Tonka either, nobody wanted him.

My husband took Tonka out of my arms and looked at him for a moment then gave me a hug and softly whispered in my ear, "Don't worry" he said, " I want him!"

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