We have loved the opportunity to share pet rescue and adoption success stories and are excited to share another. Meet Stacey Steiner and her fabulous furbaby Hamilton formerly known as Jupiter, a sweet min pin! Stacey saw “Jupiter” on the Facebook Page for Beaches Animal Clinic in 2019 and decided to go meet him in person as a possible new addition to her home.
Why Hamilton?
I really got into the soundtrack 3 or 4 years ago. We had a company car that had an incredible sound system, and I loved listening to the Hamilton soundtrack on long solo road trips. So when I adopted him, I renamed him Hamilton. I adopted another dog about a year later, and while he was too old to really rename, I nicknamed him Aaron Furr. 🙂
Tell us about Hamilton’s history that you know?
I adopted Hamilton through my vet, Beaches Animal Clinic, so I have full access to his past vet records and his story. They have a non-profit called “Angel Fund” that helps low-income owners with the costs of vet care and helps find homes for pets in need. They posted on their Facebook page his photo. My previous dog had passed two months prior and the house was too quiet. I immediately called the vet and drove over that afternoon. They let me take him home to see if he was a fit. (I’d been a patient for over 10 years so they knew me). He fit in immediately.
When I met Hamilton, they told me that his previous owner was older and just determined he was too much for her to handle. She had 3 cats and walked with a cane. Hamilton definitely needs daily walks to keep his little butt out of trouble. The last straw was when Hamilton squeezed his chunky butt out the cat door and ran all over the neighborhood. With her and a cane, she couldn’t handle that happening again so when he was about 8-years old, she gave him to her vet.
Have there been any past traumas you had to help Hamilton work through?
As with many little dogs, you need to be really careful with their back. While we haven’t had issues with his back, he has a neck problem that sometimes flares up. Unfortunately I don’t know what causes it to happen. I’m guessing it has something to do with chasing the cat. He has a ramp (not steps) so he won’t jump off the couch, but sometimes he just goes nuts for her. So I also make sure to carry Hamilton up and down any stairs. Thankfully I only have 3 in my house, so that keeps it pretty easy.
How has Hamilton changed your life?
I definitely understand the term emotional support animal now. I recently had the opportunity to drive to Chicago to visit my mom and brought Hamilton and my other dog, Rex (aka Aaron Furr) with me. It made the whole trip so much more enjoyable and fun, even the 18 hour drive back. They were just so dang cute in the backseat and so well behaved. I also enjoyed the motivation to take multiple daily walks with them when visiting my mom in Chicago. He has a huge personality and a very expressive face. He really does “keep it real” around the house and cracks me up frequently
Have you worked with any other organization for pet rescue or foster in the past?
I also rescued my other dog, Rex, (aka Aaron Furr) directly from his previous owner. Unfortunately, he passed away a few weeks ago.
What would you want people to know about pet rescue and fostering a pet?
The rule of 3’s. It takes 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months for a new pet to get acclimated to the house as well as for you to get acclimated to the new pet in your home. After 3 hours, the new dog will hopefully find a place they can comfortably sit. After 3 days, you will hopefully see they have relaxed and explored. After 3 weeks, they hopefully understand the daily schedule of the household. After 3 months, they’re probably running the house. Essentially the point here is to give it time to let everyone get acclimated and don’t expect it to all happen at once.
What’s Hamilton up to these days?
Hamilton has been on IR (injured reserve) the past week with a neck flare up. This is the second time this has happened, so we are being careful and hoping everything clears up soon. Lots of naps under blankets and couch time. He seems to be improving thankfully.
Beaches Animal Clinic is located at 937 Beach Blvd in Jacksonville Beach. When pets are brought to Beaches Animal Clinic for adoption or rescue as part of their Angel Fund, the clinic showcases the furbabies on their Facebook page for adoption to qualified, loving owners. Interested in adoption or rescue from Beaches Animal Clinic? You can follow them on Facebook here or reach out to their office for adoption opportunities at 904-246-2045.
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Jenn Heller is the Operations Manager for The Volen Group, Keller Williams Luxury International, with over 18 years experience in Real Estate. She is a Jacksonville resident via Long Island, NY since 1991, a crafter, chalk painter and an avid fitness enthusiast.
