They tell me I was an "owner surrender". My first owner didn't have enough time for me. I guess that's why they never taught me to pee outside, or sit or down, or anything else. They brought me to a place filled with all sorts of dogs, and left me there.
In this place, I was given my own little den, my own water bowl, and FOOD! Glorious Food! Ah, the taste of it...pardon me while I drool. They also gave me many rawhide chewies, which gave me diarrhea. I also had LOTS of attention from the nice humans there.
Day after day, Humans would come into this Place, and look at all the dogs. Sometimes, a dog would go away with a Human. We all wondered what happened to that dog. Sometimes the Humans would stop and look into my den. I always put on the charm when they peered at me, but it didn't seem to be working, until...
THEY came.
They walked in, and I could see right away that they were suckers. When they walked near my den, I politely knocked on the door to get their attention. The female immediately bent down to say hello. I wagged my whole body, just in case she was a little dense. She said, "Joe, what about this one?" Well, he seemed more interested in the younger pup next door, so I had to really keep the charm business up. Boy, was it tiring! Then, they took the younger pup out of his den, and went away with him. I was sad, they seemed so nice!
But a few minutes later, they were back! I don't know what happened to the pup, but they wanted me! [Shannon speaking here: The other pup's owner called and wanted him back, so they took him to another section of the shelter to wait. I was really just waiting to get to Guinness anyway.] They took me out and played and played and played. They rubbed my tummy, and I chewed the male's hat. I really wanted to stay with these folks, I just KNEW they'd give me lots of food. But after three hours with me, they left. I was sad again.
A few days later, somebody took me into a bright white room that smelled a little funny. They gave me a shot, and next thing I knew I was back in my den with a little sore spot on my lower belly. It didn't hurt too much, though, so I didn't take any notice.
Later that day - SHE CAME BACK! The female I picked out as a sucker, she came back! She put a new collar with jingly things and a new leash on me, and we went for my first ride in a car. It was very exciting, seeing all the other people, dogs and cars outside the window. I kept running from window to window so I wouldn't miss anything. Then, I licked her ear, to make sure she knew I was happy. All this while the car was moving!
When we got home, I knew this was going to be great. There was a crate, and a blanket, and a bowl with water in it. No food, yet, but it was around somewhere, I could smell it. And the toys! So many toys! I got right to work making myself at home. I peed in the kitchen, so they would know it was my space, and I destroyed several toys in the next few hours. [Shannon here again - we were under orders to restrict his food because he'd just been neutered. He has since eaten plenty to make up for it.]
That's my adoption story. Hope you like it! If you'd like to adopt a dog from the Animal Rescue League of Boston, you should drop by and meet the pups.
Since that magical day, I have taught my people to feed me twice a day, walk me four times a day, give me adequate play time with other dogs, pet me a lot, and generally treat me well. They, in turn, have taught me that I must give up my bones when they ask (*SIGH*), and how to do cute tricks to amuse the kids in our neighborhood. I guess everybody's got to compromise a little, huh? I even earned a certificate - I am a certified Canine Good Citizen. Mom cried when they gave it to me. Now I have my own human puppy to take care of, and I guard him fiercely. He feeds me his own food from his high chair, and I think that's just fine. What do you mean dogs aren't supposed to eat cantaloupe?
