Blessings

As I was writing up the latest in the doggie saga I took a moment to read Frank's last post.  He was reflecting on our impromptu drive from Nashville to Ambler after Christmas, when our flight kept getting canceled.  He says I'm the strong one, but it's easy to be strong when you have a wonderful partner in your life.

He's been my copilot, my partner in crime, my everything for 3 1/2 years.  He still makes me cry happy tears when I think about some of the things he does.  He makes me smile and laugh, and I miss him when he's no farther away than a flight of stairs.  We've made a home together and a life together.  He makes me brave because I know he's with me.  I didn't give a second thought to that drive because we were together.  It was another adventure, and one I'd like to do again in the daylight.

Though if I'd had it to do all over again I would have called out of work the next day.  That was just dumb.

Bachelor #...I've lost count: Boomer 2.0

So that Wednesday while trying to learn about Alley I came across Boomer:  An 8 year old pit bull currently in foster care with a dog trainer in Delaware County.  I speak to the foster coordinator for the Delco SPCA, fill out yet another form and she passes it on the Boomer's foster dad. 

I heard from Michael on Thursday night and we made plans to meet at the SPCA on Sunday.  Boomer turned out to be a great dog, a bit more energy than Goldie, but a total lovebug.  We filled out the paperwork and were soon heading home with our boy.  Such a change from Boomer 1.0-no barking in the car!  Whoo hoo!

Once home he settled right in.  He spent most of the day snuggled up on the couch with me.  We took a nice long walk after dinner and he was great on the leash.  Bedtime was around midnight and we put him in the laundry room with his bed and blanket.

In the morning I fed him breakfast and we took a nice long walk.  We put him back in the laundry room before we left for work with a nice big bone to chew on.  Once home from work their were walkies, then dinner and some play time and snuggling.  Bedtime came again and he was not a happy puppy.  He started whining and barking in his room and at 1 AM I caved and took him outside for a 30 minute walk.  Once back home he still wasn't ready for bed and I was sick so again, I caved and rewarded bad behavior by letting him have the run of the downstairs.  He really wanted to be with us, so this didn't help.  I laid with him on the couch for a bit, but feeling as bad as I did that was not where I wanted to sleep.

So I let him upstairs.  He jumped on the bed, Frank told him no and went to grab his collar...and Boomer snapped.  He lunged at Frank, snarling and growling.  I have no idea how Frank handled it so calmly and well, but he got control of the dog and no one got hurt, but we were both shaken.  Boomer calmed down, but we just weren't comfortable having him in the house. 

I have to stress I don't believe this was Boomer's fault.  It think he was stressed because he wanted to be with us and then displayed guarding behavior when he got on the bed.  He hadn't been with a family in 6 years, so I think this was just too much for him.  He had been kept in a basement for years before being brought to the SPCA and when he was with Mike he was being trained, but not really part of a family.

So feeling frightened (at least I was) and not knowing what else to do, we took him to the Conshohocken SPCA, explaining the situation and that we didn't believe it was true aggression.  I spoke with the shelter manager first thing in the morning, and the Delco coordinator and we picked Boomer up after work and took him back to Delco where he is safe and sound.

Everyone was so supportive, but I feel like I really failed Boomer.  This will pass, and at least he is safe and has a chance at another family, but it feels awful.  We've decided that right now a dog isn't for us.  Maybe we aren't home enough, maybe we haven't found the right dog or maybe we just aren't a dog family.  But for now I plan on annoying Tasha with attention and possibly getting a Webkin...

Is it Fate?

So that same Wednesday we didn't get Cooper one of my coworkers who knows of the search tells me there is a Boston Terrier in desperate need of a home, she is going to a kill shelter if one isn't found.  And she has 3 legs, which is kind of neat.  I get the information and e-mail the person searching for placement.

The dog's name is Alley and she's an adorable 2 years old.  Younger than we wanted, but according to the rescue worker a pretty calm dog.  Frank agrees to meet her and I send a few more questions to the contact person, because now I've gotten another story about her background and I'm getting wary.

I didn't hear back from her until Friday and by then we'd decided this wasn't for us.  And yes, the dog ended up staying in the home it was in so was safe.

So Close!

Cooper was a fantastic little guy.  He was sweet, very attached to his foster mom but not so much that he ignored us.  He barked a few times, but such a little sound compared to Boomer.  I was in love.  We decided to go ahead with the adoption, Cooper's foster mom would contact me by Tuesday about the next step.

Tuesday came and in the morning I got an e-mail saying that while the foster parents worked the same hours we did, but she realized that Cooper had her other dog to keep him company.  She was concerned about his anxiety level and asked what I thought.  I told her our plan and asked for her take on it.  I didn't hear back that day, which made me think she was having a hard time giving him up.  He'd been living with her for a year after all and way clearly attached.

So Wednesday morning I got the anticipated e-mail:  They were adopting Cooper.  She was so sweet about it and offered to be a reference for us.  So the search continued...

Back to Square One

So the search began again.  Right now we are looking at Cooper, a 12 year old Westie.  He takes the same meds I do, so that's pretty funny.  He's even been around ferrets.  We get to meet him on Sunday more than likely.  My concern is that Frank had a reaction to Lydia's Shih Tzu Baxter and he was in the same "hypo allergenic" family of dog. 

Thinking I was being all smart I found a Westie named Rudy in the Conshohocken SPCA and thought we might see how Frank did with him.  Oh what a trip.  The kennels were oddly empty and it seemed like there were way too many sick dogs.  We couldn't see Rudy because he had a fungal infection, plus he had an adoption pending.  There was another dog there we couldn't see because she didn't like the staff.  It was weird.

So we shall see what the universe says about Cooper.  If this too isn't a connection maybe I'll dress Frank in faux fur.

Bachelor #3: Fatty Boom Batty

Or Spot.  Or Spike.  We called him Boomer.  He is a 5 year old Dalmatian/Lab mix.  When we first met Boomer at our house he wouldn't stop barking!  It was the "okay, I want to go home" bark.  He even stuck his nose in his foster dad's pocket to get his leash!  Still, there was something about Boomer and his polkadot ears that made me want to see him again.  This time we went over to his foster parents' place and he was such a love!  He was all tummy rubs and kisses and we fell in love.  Boomer came to live with us on December 30th.

Getting Boomer was an adventure.  First we went to the wrong place in South Philly only to find we should have been in the Northeast.  So we went back to Roosevelt Blvd and had to rely on Frank's memories from his adolescence to navigate because his phone had died.  Almost 2 hours after we were supposed to meet Boomer's fosters we finally arrived. I'm a big believer in if the universe makes something silly hard it's trying to tell you not to do it...but I didn't listen very well.

On December 31st I woke up coughing, sneezing and itching.  Through some calls to the doctor and our vet we learned that Dalmatian's have interesting hair.  They shed more than most dogs and the hair is barbed so it sticks more too.  And because of this people who have seasonal allergies tend to be allergic to them.  I have hay fever, guess what that meant?  Yup, with many tears, Boomer went back to his foster parents.  He is very loved there and will likely be adopted by them if things don't work out with the family he is supposed to meet next, though they sound. pretty cool.

Our Countribution to Pet Rehoming

I feel this is a good time to list all the dogs we were interested in, but had found homes by the time we inquired about them or before out appointment to meet them:

Grady
Sweetpea
Kyle
Rudy

Niles
AJ
Nana
Bender
Ringo

Bachelorette #2: Teila

Teila, an 8 year old Lhasa Apso, was the next dog we met.  After talking with her foster mom Sue Frank and I headed up to Allentown to meet Teila.  She was a well behaved, dainty little girl.  There was nothing wrong with her at all.  But this is when I decided I wanted a dog with a nose.  She had that cute little smushed face that does nothing for me.  Plus, she wasn't particularly interested in us.  As advertised, she was a bit of a princess.  So, feeling superficial, we decided to continue our search.

In Search of Puppy Love: Bachelor #1

So since last I blogged we met a few dogs.  What are we looking for?  An older dog, well past the hyper puppy phase who is house broken and affectionate.  I think this is both reasonable and a wide enough definition that we should have lots of candidates, right?  Well I am learning that I may be a little more picky that I originally believed.  It's surprisingly like internet dating.

Nino: The Dog without a Personality

First we met Nino, a 10 year old pit bull.  Nino is a pretty, well behaved pit from Polished Pit Bull Rescue.  Let me state for the record I'm aware most animal rescuers are rabidly devoted to their selected species and a good many are on the nutty side.  That said, D from PPBR was a bit much even for me.  I learned more about her life than the dog's.  Nino was...completely boring.  There was no personality I could see.  Admittedly I've only owned one dog, Goldie, and she behaved like all the other animals I've ever adopted:  She was happy to meet me and there was something about her that just clicked.  Nino was like tofu ice cream:  A polite house guest but showed no real interest in anything.  Except his tail.  He started chasing his tail and kept it up for 30 minutes until we took him outside.  Once at the rescue D was able to stop him by using a shock collar.  I make no judgment on this, I know there is a place for these things.  I have felt them and know that the lowest setting is less painful that a static shock.  Still, call it a weakness in my personality, but I couldn't do it.  Add to this the fatty tumor she was determined to have removed and analyzed (and if it was cancer wasn't going to treat due to his age, so why the hell put a 10 year old dog under anesthesia?) and well, this wasn't the dog for us.  D was rather nasty when I told her that.  Really nasty.  Ah well the quest continues.