the candid dog

I’ve heard a lot of dog adoption stories over the years. But today, I heard one I hadn’t heard before.

A woman was riding her bike on a trail at Albany Bulb. We had both stopped to watch as dog walkers separated 2 labs who were fighting over a thrown stick. Talk turned to adoption stories. My 3 dogs are rescues; I adopted 2 as 10-year olds. I have a soft heart for seniors. How could anyone give up dogs they had for 10 years?  Not sure about the details.

The woman on the bike told me that she adopted her dog from Milo, a dog rescue place, because the child in the family wanted a puppy instead of an adult dog. Her adoptee was sweet and shy who didn’t like to be in the sun too long. She sat under shade as we talked and you could see that some of her skin was exposed. A gentle dog but not rambunctious like a puppy.

The saving grace here is that the woman on the bike loved her adoptee and told me that the dog was fond of her. So, happy ending.

I wonder, though, about parents who would allow their child to turn in a dog that way. I just think that when you adopt, you stick with the dog; you don’t turn it in for something “better.”  But maybe that’s just me.

Every dog has a unique personality. Any dog lover will tell you that. Here’s what makes Jake Jake.

Jake jumps into my bed at around 6 am every morning. I hear him approach, pause, launch and boom, there  he is, on the bed, anticipating the morning walk in the dog park.

Jake loves to go in the car. Whenever I start to put on my shoes or pick up my keys, he’s waiting in front of the door. Sometimes if I have the car in back to wash it, I let him sit in it and I can’t get in out.

Jake loves the water and will lay into a dime-sized puddle if that’s all there is. He doesn’t swim much; he tends to just lay in the water and that seems to delight people. It does me, too.

Jake has enormous feet. OK. So his feet aren’t his personality. But it’s a part of him. When he walks around late at night, he makes a “thud, thud, thud” noise.

Jake likes to chase poodles. Sometimes people are OK with that, sometimes not.

Jake loves to run and play with Gus, a German shorthair.

Jake sleeps in his favorite chair with his head hanging over the side.

Jake talks, though he has a limited vocabulary. He says “hrrr, hrrr..” early in the morning and I think it means, “I am ready to go on my walk now. Could you speed it up?” Or a plaintive “hhmm?” “hhmm?” which is a variation of “hrrr.”

When I call Jake to come, he doesn’t just walk over or take his time. He bounds toward me.

Among other things…