Everything is Different Now in Puppy Land

[JardinPrayer]

Some of you may remember this thread, where I got all emo about getting a white Lab puppy from a back yard breeder. Well, after months of phone calls, the woman first told me that she thought her dog was pregnant but it wasn't only now it is. She said mama dog was "huge" and though she didn't know the exact due date, she would call the day the pups were born. She further said we could have pick of the litter since we called so often and so early on in this particular pregnancy. That was three weeks ago. No call. Frankly, we're a bit fed up with this woman. So, lots of conversation has been taking place about where our next doggie will come from. I've been campaigning for going to the Animal Control Adoption Center in the middle of town. Craig and his son just want a BIG dog.

Sunday morning, Craig got out of the shower and looked out the bathroom window to see a little Mini Pinscher running across the front lawn. A few minutes later, when he went to get a cup of coffee, he saw our cat, Sarah, staring out the oval glass insert of our front door, her tail switching madly. He went over to investigate and the pup was curled up on our door mat, fast asleep. Craig could see he was an old pooch. He stayed there for well over a half hour and then it was time to leave for church. That's when he came and got me (I didn't go to service because my pastor has lost his mind and I can't sit through it right now...though I do watch live streaming video online). By the time I got to the door, the pup had reawakened and was running around our lawn. He came to us right away and looked up at Craig like he had know him forever! I took him in, fed him a little cat food (that's all I had) and tried to find someone at the Humane Society or even Animal Control who would answer the phone on Sunday. No luck. I knocked on all the doors in a reasonable distance from the house...nobody recognized him or claimed him. We agreed he would stay with us overnight and then I would have to call Animal Control to come get him this morning.

He's as small as my cats, house trained (in fact, leash trained...heels wonderfully). He's really old and a bit arthritic and has cataracts. He can see, but often walks right into things. He also likes to be underfoot in the kitchen, so we have to be careful when we back away from the counter when we're in a cooking frenzy. He and the cats got acclimated to one another almost immediately, though my alpha, Brian, tried to bully him out of dinner and nearly succeeded.

We had a peaceful night after a little whimpering about not being allowed in bed with us. He curled up next to my night table in a small pile of clothes I've been meaning to put away and stayed there all night.

I did make the call this morning and was told an officer would come get him as soon as possible...no guarantee it would be today. Craig kept insisting we take this measure because little dogs, in his opinion, are not dogs. Well, they didn't show up today. Tonight, while we were preparing dinner, Craig's son Matt and I were talking about what a cool little bugger this guy is and how he's exactly zero trouble and what a shame it would be to send him to the shelter. To my utter and complete amazement, Craig said the following things within a 10-minute period:

• We can keep him
• This won't interfere with our plans to get a BIG dog from the adoption center
• He needs a dog bed

We named him Little Buddy...like he cares what we call him.

Here he is.

[Sparko]

cute!!

[Johnny MacManky]

Da doggy's nice too.

[JardinPrayer]

Gosh...you can really see his blindness in that pic.

[Kelp]

That's great. He needs a good home

[JardinPrayer]

Tomorrow, I'm gonna go buy him a little doggie bed for right next to my bed, a harness to replace that awful choke collar, and some good "mature dog" food.

[Nicholas]

Awww, that's so cute.

I think you did absolutely the right things, but I think that it's probably good that he found a loving home in your house, because I'm not sure how many people would adopt an older dog. Again, I am very happy for you and the dog, I guess he must have known that you would provide a good home.

[Zeluvia]

Did you check him for tatoos? I am glad you took him in, but a dog that was cared for long enough to get arthritis and cataracts may have loving owners going crazy trying to figure out what happened to him = (

[lao tzu]

Here he is.

I hate to be the bearer of cold water, but I can't believe a dog that well behaved was abandoned. I thought I heard you say you'd posted it as missing. Are you ready for when it's owner shows up?

*please don't shoot the messenger*

[Crow]

Hard to tell what's up with it. The dog might be lost, but I worked as a shelter volunteer for a year, and saw many old dogs turned in, some as old as 11 and 12 years old.

That dog looks healthy, though. Dogs that age don't stay healthy unless someone's taking really good care of them. He looks like someone's pet that wandered off, and you'd be suprised how far even an old dog can get if there is something interesting to chase. My 12 year old foxhound managed to tree a raccoon about 5 miles from home.

[Tara_Hallie]

Awwwe...he's adorable! Congrats on your new addition!! :)

[JardinPrayer]

Well, I called about half a dozen local vets to ask if his description sounded familiar. I'll bring him along to one of them today to have him scanned for a chip. He's accustomed to being walked on a leash and prefers it to just being let out in the yard. Under no circumstances does he want to just be let out without a person with him. All he wants to do is sleep at someone's feet or next to someone...anyone. I don't see him wandering off since it appears he stuck very close to whomever his owner was. I did post a sign and call the vets. Animal Control wants me to drive into the unsavory downtown area and post a sign there...they won't do it for me with a telephone description. I'm pretty sure that's not happening.

Hey, if someone claims him from the efforts I've made, I'm more than happy to return him to his rightful owner - particularly because he has a fondness for 6:00 a.m. for his first walk of the day! We're guessing his owner passed on and the family turned the little fella out. Just a guess, of course, but this is not a critter that leaves his master's side much.

[JardinPrayer]

*please don't shoot the messenger*

Don't worry, Jesse...I'm over my hissy fit!

[Crow]

Well, I called about half a dozen local vets to ask if his description sounded familiar. I'll bring him along to one of them today to have him scanned for a chip. He's accustomed to being walked on a leash and prefers it to just being let out in the yard. Under no circumstances does he want to just be let out without a person with him. All he wants to do is sleep at someone's feet or next to someone...anyone. I don't see him wandering off since it appears he stuck very close to whomever his owner was. I did post a sign and call the vets. Animal Control wants me to drive into the unsavory downtown area and post a sign there...they won't do it for me with a telephone description. I'm pretty sure that's not happening.

Hey, if someone claims him from the efforts I've made, I'm more than happy to return him to his rightful owner - particularly because he has a fondness for 6:00 a.m. for his first walk of the day! We're guessing his owner passed on and the family turned the little fella out. Just a guess, of course, but this is not a critter that leaves his master's side much.

It sounds as if however it works out, the dog has a good home.

[JardinPrayer]

I stopped by my vet and had him scanned for a microchip. There is none. My sister has worked for vets her entire life and has quite a menagerie of her own. Although she now works for a private breeder, she has a stockpile of injectable arthritis medication for her aging Dachshund and will share it with me. I bought the food, treats, harness, and doggie bed today. Poor little thing actually has trouble climbing into the dog bed...the lip is a little high for him. He lays the upper half of his body in it and his hind legs on the floor. We'll have to work on that.