July 25, 2013

I’ve been sick for two days. In spite of that I did some volunteer work, including going to the Humane Society to walk the dogs. I only lasted about an hour at the Humane Society though, I just wasn’t feeling well. So I went home, ate lunch, took a shower, and took it easy for a little while. In the meantime, I’d also been looking at the Humane Society web site, and there was a dog at the adoption center at PetSmart who sounded pretty good. In spite of still feeling kind of lousy, I drove out to PetSmart to take a look.

This dog was adorable. I took him into the Get Acquainted room. I was looking for a dog who wasn’t skittish, who was focused on people, medium size, medium energy, and not too smart. (Smart dogs get bored easily, which can lead to all sorts of unpleasant ways for them to alleviate their boredom.) As soon as the volunteer left, the dog was very focused on me. He desperately wanted to be petted. He wasn’t interested in a rope toy, but I laid it on his back and he didn’t care. I threw it almost right at him and it didn’t startle him. He was interested in the tennis ball when I bounced it against the wall. In terms of temperament, he was looking pretty laid back.

I saw only two negatives right away. The first is that he kept jumping on the bench. I don’t allow dogs on the furniture, but that’s something that’s easily learned. The other thing I noticed when I first stopped at his kennel to look at him. He was friendly and a little excited, but not jumping around. Then I moved on, and he started crying and carrying on a bit. Definitely something I should have paid closer attention to.

His paperwork said he had lived outdoors only, never went for walks, and was given up because he was digging out of the yard. I was a little concerned about the digging out, but I was hopeful that with proper attention and exercise he wouldn’t feel the need to try to escape. He was said to be good with young kids, and he’d done great in play groups with other dogs. I decided he needed to come home with me. I put down the $25 deposit so I could come back with my husband Greg the next morning and adopt this lovely dog.