At the trailer rental place, the poor guy working was left stranded by the U-Haul folks who are usually there, and he was left to figure out how to process our reservation after having only been shown how to do it once before. Three tries later, we had a trailer, and we went to the animal shelter at around 11:00 (the time is important for later in the story, I promise).
Immediately after walking in, we saw an adorable pair of kittens that couldn't have been older than three weeks old. They looked like bobble heads with teeny, tiny paws. We went into the first dog room, and were only mildly impressed with the selection (apparently it was Rat Terrier day at the shelter). The stray section was locked, so we walked out and asked the lady at the front desk if we could see the strays. She said it would be five to ten minutes. At this point, it was about 11:25.
So into the cat room we went. They didn't have any kittens in there, which was surprising to me (it's kitten season), but there was this weird Siamese with inside out ears (apparently it's a genetic trait some cats have). It was also a little cross eyed, and I fell in love.
Bobby hates cats, though, so I didn't push it.
A lady came out and said she could take us in to see the strays. She said the dogs in pens 1-16 were up for adoption. I took that to mean there would be 16 dogs to see, but it actually ended up being about 7. Many of the cages were empty, which is a good thing (more space means fewer euthanasia). I wasn't particularly interested in any of the dogs, because there weren't any females (I have an irrational fear of dog penis). However, there was one dog that didn't bark once. Upon closer inspection, we could tell he was a pit bull/heeler mix, just like our little Peli. He was very interested in receiving affection through the chain link door, so we asked to play with him. The lady came over and said, "Oh, I LOVE this dog!" and took him out. She tried to get the leash on him as he ran out of the gate, but he was too fast. Bobby got down on the ground and said, "Hey, come here!" and the dog ran into his lap.
Moments later, we were in the "Get Acquainted" room with an extremely excited dog. He was jumping into our laps, desperate for some much needed attention. Of course, there was the dog penis, so I wasn't warming up to him as quickly as Bobby. The little boy fell in love with Bobby very soon, though, and would not leave his lap. Bobby then started saying things that I would never have expected.
"You know, we were planning on getting a second dog anyway..."
"Look at how sweet he is!"
And then finally...
"Why don't we adopt him?"
Usually I'm the one making impulsive adoption requests. This time, I was the one being paranoid/rational.
"We're moving on Tuesday. He still has balls."
"Your mom will KILL us if we have a second dog."
"He HAS A PENIS."
However, his likeness to Peli did soften my heart, as did his sweet temperament and his lack of barking. He's larger than Peli, and brindle, making the pit bull show more and thus make me feel safer running by myself if I had him with me. He wasn't shy with strangers AT ALL (a very nice change to Peli's typical reaction to new people), which meant he could eventually be a therapy dog.
I looked at Bobby, took a deep breath, and said, "Okay. Go tell them we're adopting him."
Bobby ran out like a giddy child on Christmas day to tell the people at the front desk the good news. We're adopting a dog! We're going to save a canine life from the perils of shelter living! No longer would he be an option for euthanasia-- he's going to a home where he'll sleep in a bed with people and get training and have a big sister to play with all the time. We're pretty ideal pet parents, if I do say so myself.
Bobby returned to the "Get Acquainted" room looking absolutely crestfallen. "They don't do adoptions after 11:30." A quick look at the clock said it was 11:45.
I was about to get all up on my soap box. These people work at an animal shelter, which should mean they want animals to get adopted. They want their lives to be saved, and here they have a fantastic couple that wants to adopt an adult stray, and they're turning us away? Really?
"Go explain the situation." Bobby returned to tell them we'd be moving out of state in a couple days, and we really cannot come back on Monday to get him, simply because that does not give our other dog enough time to get used to him before spending two days in a car. The gal behind the desk said she'd make a call, but she didn't think she could do anything about the policy.
Thankfully, the gal who originally took us to the stray room appeared from a back office and, after hearing our situation, said, "Let's do it!"
While filling out the paperwork, we learned that he was only technically a stray. His previous owners had him as an indoor and outdoor dog, and his pen outside did not have a lock on it. He got out constantly (the owners said the neighbors kept letting him out, but they refused to put a lock on his pen), and was picked up by the animal control officer five times previously. The last time, they contacted the owners, and they relinquished him to the shelter. Two months later, we showed up and took him home.
Come Monday, he'll be de-balled (yay!). Since arriving in the Brigman abode, he and Peli have had a non-stop play date, which is amazing (Peli has been skittish around dogs since she was attacked at the dog park a couple months ago). Chuck hasn't quite adjusted yet, but Garmin hasn't reacted aggressively when he's seen the cat, which is also great. He's a huge snuggle bum and is getting used to being allowed on the furniture (we're assuming he wasn't allowed before, because he really hesitated before jumping up on the couch, and opted to sleep on the floor next to the bed). He's so stinking adorable, and I'm even getting used to the dog penis.
He's not a black lab, he's not a girl, and his name isn't Pini ("Garmin" is the name of our favorite cycling team), but he's a big lover, he adores Peli, AND he's house trained (BONUS!). Really, the most important thing to me was rescuing a dog from the shelter, and we were able to do just that.
Plus, he's the same mix as Peli. In case you were wondering, the heeler/pit bull mix is superior to any of the designer breeds out there.
2 comments:
SO CUTE!
He's cute!!!
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