Way back around Christmas time, after the 
Howells heard of a rescue dog that could have come home with us at that time, discussion in our family began about adding another dog to the family. The contention was, Murphy really enjoyed the company of "the girl cousins" when we took him to Ohio, and maybe he would benefit from having a "friend" at our house, too. My argument was that we were taking the epic roadtrip in the summer, and that it would be unfair to introduce a new dog and then go off and leave the dog and gallivant around the country for a month. I said we would consider it AFTER the epic roadtrip. Well, naturally, this is after the roadtrip, and the kids were fresh from the Howells and their 3 poochies, so discussion started pretty much right after we returned.
Howells heard of a rescue dog that could have come home with us at that time, discussion in our family began about adding another dog to the family. The contention was, Murphy really enjoyed the company of "the girl cousins" when we took him to Ohio, and maybe he would benefit from having a "friend" at our house, too. My argument was that we were taking the epic roadtrip in the summer, and that it would be unfair to introduce a new dog and then go off and leave the dog and gallivant around the country for a month. I said we would consider it AFTER the epic roadtrip. Well, naturally, this is after the roadtrip, and the kids were fresh from the Howells and their 3 poochies, so discussion started pretty much right after we returned.
The big issue is that we really wanted a dog with hypo-allergenic qualities, since there are allergies in the family. After looking to several of the local shelters and rescue organizationsin our area with no real success in the hypo-allergenic department, I Googled poodle/bichon rescue and up popped Carolina Poodle Rescue, near Spartanburg, SC. Ginger and I spent the better part of an hour filling out the application for adoption with them (I have to say, that paperwork was almost as tedious to fill out for a DOG as for a child adoption!! And we have experience with that, so we should know!!) the night before they left for workcamp. When we hadn't heard anything regarding our application by Wednesday, I emailed the organization. The next day, Sherry Wilson, our adoption counselor, called. Seems the hangup was, they contact our vet before they contact us, and our vet was at the church workcamp with Ginger and Skipper! They finally were able to contact our vet, and I spent 45 minutes on a phone interview with Sherry, determining our suitability to adopt one of their dogs. Here's a plug for this rescue organization: they are a no-kill shelter for poodles, poodle mixes, and the occasional other-breed who crosses their path. They are run entirely on donations and adoption fees. Their population ranges around 50-70 dogs. What a neat group!!
So it turns out that they could get us an appointment for Saturday (yesterday), about 24 hours after Ginger and Skipper returned from workcamp. We piled in the car for the 1.5 hour drive 
(Skipper was less than thrilled to get back in the Wessel Vessel again, for any amount of time, for any reason, after the roadtrip, followed by the 4 hour drive up to Raleigh, NC for workcamp and back). The first dog they brought us was Flash. Flash was one of the dogs I fell in love with by his picture online. I had been warned that he was extremely shy, and he was that, in spades!! The poor guy hid behind a chair from the time he entered the playroom! We were then brought Clinton, who resembled a dust mop...whatever happened to POODLE rescue??!? But Clinton knew how to work a crowd, and he sure worked the kids, and I daresay, the Professor. Meanwhile, I am bodily pulling poor Flash from behind the chair to hold him, and the poor guy is just shaking. They brought us several other dogs to look at, but from the get-go, it was a battle between Flash and Clinton. We found that Flash had been found abandoned in Augusta, GA and had been brought to CPR with heartworms last September. No wonder he was so scared. Clinton, on the other hand, had come less than 3 weeks prior. I argued that Clinton, being the crowd-pleaser that he was, would be quickly adopted by someone other than us; after all, he'd only been there 3 weeks! Flash, on the other hand, would probably never be chosen since he was so shy of people. But then, Sherry, the adoption counselor, did say that "the dog will pick you..." So at one point, the Skipper left the building, and Ginger was glassy-eyed with unshed tears, and Gilligan was despondent. Well, what the heck? Why not two? The one chosen, and the one who chose us.
(Skipper was less than thrilled to get back in the Wessel Vessel again, for any amount of time, for any reason, after the roadtrip, followed by the 4 hour drive up to Raleigh, NC for workcamp and back). The first dog they brought us was Flash. Flash was one of the dogs I fell in love with by his picture online. I had been warned that he was extremely shy, and he was that, in spades!! The poor guy hid behind a chair from the time he entered the playroom! We were then brought Clinton, who resembled a dust mop...whatever happened to POODLE rescue??!? But Clinton knew how to work a crowd, and he sure worked the kids, and I daresay, the Professor. Meanwhile, I am bodily pulling poor Flash from behind the chair to hold him, and the poor guy is just shaking. They brought us several other dogs to look at, but from the get-go, it was a battle between Flash and Clinton. We found that Flash had been found abandoned in Augusta, GA and had been brought to CPR with heartworms last September. No wonder he was so scared. Clinton, on the other hand, had come less than 3 weeks prior. I argued that Clinton, being the crowd-pleaser that he was, would be quickly adopted by someone other than us; after all, he'd only been there 3 weeks! Flash, on the other hand, would probably never be chosen since he was so shy of people. But then, Sherry, the adoption counselor, did say that "the dog will pick you..." So at one point, the Skipper left the building, and Ginger was glassy-eyed with unshed tears, and Gilligan was despondent. Well, what the heck? Why not two? The one chosen, and the one who chose us.So we drove home with the Alpha dog, Murphy, the Beta dog, Cody (the dog formerly known as Clinton...too many negative political memories associated there) and the Omega dog, Flash. Full names: Cody Banks MacKenzie Joy Wessel and Flash Gordon Peace Wessel (Murphy's full name is Murphy Alton Brown Love Wessel, btw).
Everyone is doing amazingly well. Both dogs got baths and brushed today, so they smell much better. Cody slept with Ginger, while Flash slept in his crate in our room. Flash is happiest running around in the backyard with the other dogs and sometimes the kids. His fluffy tail swings high as he gambols about But he also lets me hold him and pet him, and when we return to the house after being gone, he follows the other dogs to greet me. He still won't let me pet him at the greeting, but I know he'll get there. It's just going to take the poor guy a while to trust. So, no more epic roadtrips; the new journey has begun!
All the dogs!!
Really, what is one more?? Especially when you have Ginger all teared up and Skipper & Gilligan upset too.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy my friend!