We adopted a dog. Meet Fitzwallace. You can call him Fitz.
Yeah. Pretty adorable. He's a 3 year old shepherd mix from Chicago Animal Care and Control. We had decided awhile ago that we were going to adopt, but we were waiting until I got a job and we got settled in the apartment. Of course, with no luck on the job front and Nelson starting school a few weeks ago, I was getting antsy...and bored at home all day. I had been bugging Nelson about going to look at dogs for awhile and last Friday he agreed to go 'look'. I got a (probably fair) lecture on the way there about how we were not going to bring anything home that day and we needed to talk more before making any decisions. Plus, we had plans that night to visit some friends and weren't going to be home most of the evening. I agreed, but pointed out that if we found a dog we really loved, we'd have to act fast. Nelson kind of agreed.
About 40 minutes and 2 dogs later we were sitting in the grass with a handsome 3 year old shepherd mix and Nelson was talking to the kennel worker about adoption procedure. That's right. Nelson. Nevermind that I got the lecture from him. I did, however, remind him of said lecture and our evening plans, suggesting maybe we could come first thing in the morning to pick him up. (At which point the kennel worker offered up several sets of alternative and dog friendly plans for our evening.) We settled on starting the paperwork that night and returning as soon as they opened Saturday morning to pick him up.
On Saturday morning we picked him up and took him on a road trip to PetSmart. Other than peeing all over (and I mean all over) the flea and tick medications, the trip was a great success and he proved he was a well socialized gentleman. He got a simple yet dignified black collar and harness and a giant tennis ball that squeaked. The first several days continued to build our confidence; he didn't bark at all, stood still during his first bath, and listened to everything we said. He even came pre-programmed with a beginning understanding of 'sit' and 'stay'. Then, on the fourth day, he barked and lunged at a 5 year old, peed and pooped in the office, ate the fuzz off his tennis ball and the stuffing out of his bed, and chewed up his $25 harness and Nelson's right dress shoe.
Damn.
Yesterday was his one week anniversary. We bought him a supposedly indestructible chew toy (which he loves), a brand new gentle leader harness (which he most certainly will not love) and an economy size package of paper towels (which we will use).
We're learning. Mostly that having a dog is a lot like having a child. And that Caesar Milan is nothing short of a prophet. But at the close of our first week we're all still okay with sitting in the same room.
Yeah. Pretty adorable. He's a 3 year old shepherd mix from Chicago Animal Care and Control. We had decided awhile ago that we were going to adopt, but we were waiting until I got a job and we got settled in the apartment. Of course, with no luck on the job front and Nelson starting school a few weeks ago, I was getting antsy...and bored at home all day. I had been bugging Nelson about going to look at dogs for awhile and last Friday he agreed to go 'look'. I got a (probably fair) lecture on the way there about how we were not going to bring anything home that day and we needed to talk more before making any decisions. Plus, we had plans that night to visit some friends and weren't going to be home most of the evening. I agreed, but pointed out that if we found a dog we really loved, we'd have to act fast. Nelson kind of agreed.
About 40 minutes and 2 dogs later we were sitting in the grass with a handsome 3 year old shepherd mix and Nelson was talking to the kennel worker about adoption procedure. That's right. Nelson. Nevermind that I got the lecture from him. I did, however, remind him of said lecture and our evening plans, suggesting maybe we could come first thing in the morning to pick him up. (At which point the kennel worker offered up several sets of alternative and dog friendly plans for our evening.) We settled on starting the paperwork that night and returning as soon as they opened Saturday morning to pick him up.
On Saturday morning we picked him up and took him on a road trip to PetSmart. Other than peeing all over (and I mean all over) the flea and tick medications, the trip was a great success and he proved he was a well socialized gentleman. He got a simple yet dignified black collar and harness and a giant tennis ball that squeaked. The first several days continued to build our confidence; he didn't bark at all, stood still during his first bath, and listened to everything we said. He even came pre-programmed with a beginning understanding of 'sit' and 'stay'. Then, on the fourth day, he barked and lunged at a 5 year old, peed and pooped in the office, ate the fuzz off his tennis ball and the stuffing out of his bed, and chewed up his $25 harness and Nelson's right dress shoe.
Damn.
Yesterday was his one week anniversary. We bought him a supposedly indestructible chew toy (which he loves), a brand new gentle leader harness (which he most certainly will not love) and an economy size package of paper towels (which we will use).
We're learning. Mostly that having a dog is a lot like having a child. And that Caesar Milan is nothing short of a prophet. But at the close of our first week we're all still okay with sitting in the same room.
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