Mr. (& Ms.) Softee
Last fall we needed to put down Tracie’s little dog Bella. (See Six Pounds of Love.) She was a sweet girl and we miss her very much.
Tracie was adamant that she didn’t want another dog. That lasted about three months and then Jack came to live with us. (See It’s a Boy!)
Jack is probably the best little doggie anyone could want. He’s super smart, he listens and, unless he’s protecting us from cats and squirrels and deer and foxes, he never growls or barks. As Tray says, “he’s the best doggie ever!”
Jackie is very attached to us and goes with us almost everywhere. But there are times that we must leave him. Early on there was a little destruction - one of Tray’s leather sandals got chewed and a nick-knack was abused – but eventually Jack got used to us leaving and coming back.
After a few months Tray was thinking we could/should foster another doggie to keep Jack company, maybe with an adoption at the end of fostering. However, we’d need to see how the foster worked out.
The idea started with us sharing a picture or two from an online shelter, then many pictures, then web links, followed by several shelter visits.
Last Saturday we took “Doc” home.
Like Jack, Doc was brought to Delaware from a high-volume shelter in Louisiana. Nobody down there wanted him. It’s sad. But we wanted him. Doc is a beagle-mix a few pounds heavier than Jack. We felt they’d be a good match.
Also, like Jack, Doc has some health issues. He has a heart murmur and he also has heartworm which the Delaware Humane Association will treat while we foster. Doc also had some kind of itch in his ear that they were treating. He scratched a lot and that caused a sore to open up on the side of his head. Nothing serious, but he needs to have a salve applied and wear “a cone of shame.” Additionally, we think he may have a food allergy that is common with beagles and that, plus nerves, might be the cause of scratching.
Do you know how superheroes gain their superpowers when they put on a mask or a cape? Well, when we put the cone on Doc’s head, he’s transformed into “Doc The Destroyer!”. Since he’s a beagle he’s very scent oriented and wants to smell everything. But the cone means that everything he gets close to gets knocked over. Thus far the damage has been to a few unsuspecting houseplants and that’s about it. Doc is a true “chow hound” and we need to be careful about the food we leave out – something we never worried about with Jack.
The shelter told us that Doc is three years old. We think it’s more like one or two. Doc still has a lot of puppy in him. Besides being careful about food, we need to be careful about small objects. Last night I rescued a scotch tape dispenser from sure destruction. Again, Doc The Destroyer! hasn’t done any real damage but we need to keep him under surveillance.
As I write this Doc has only been here a few days. Since his arrival we’ve learned that he’s mostly housebroken (WHEW!), gets along well with Jack, likes to set his own pace and directions when we take a walk (that’ll change soon) and doesn’t know the word “NO!” That’ll change sooner.
Life with Doc gets a little better every day. We’re hoping that Doc will be with us for a long time.
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“If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are.”
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Happy 4th!
Important safety tip: Don’t store your fireworks in the back of your open car. Oh, and don’t be a dumbass!
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