Sunday, April 1, 2012

Choosing Charlie

Choosing Charlie


Charlie adopted us on Wednesday, March 14, 2012. Mike and I took an excursion to the Henderson Pet Shelter with the sole purpose of finding a dog. We even brought a collar and leash. For the first time since losing our furry friend, Brandi a couple of years ago, we were ready to start fresh with a new pet. Charlie wasn't the first dog we looked at. He didn't even have a name or description posted on the cage. We passed him, noting that he was lying quietly at the back of the cage while his crazy cell-mate, Henry (a brindle chihuahua), was bouncing around like a beach ball on steroids. Of course we took Henry out for "walkies" to see if we would bond. He was a little too much for us, so we looked at a couple of other pets, wondering if we would find a "match."


Every time we went by, the little black and tan dog was there. When he came to the front of the cage, Mike said "I want to see him. I like him." He didn't bark, he just tried to push Henry aside from his frantic bids for attention. When the little black dog had enough, he lifted his lips in a sneer at Henry and put his foot on him to stop him from bouncing around.  That was the only time we saw him attempt to assert himself. He looked at us, tail wagging, and we knew we had to take him out to visit with him.


I think it's was Mike who got lambasted with "love at first sight." He liked his little face, ear that flopped up and his attentive nature. He liked the way he didn't bark (except when he lifted him up to look at the birds awaiting adoption). While I went to the front desk to ask about "no-name," and got his specs, the two boys bonded. He was a stray, about 2 years old, and they didn't know much about him. But he was healthy and "a good boy," passing the remote control "Cat Test" and getting along with the other pets. The staff loved him. I took the leash and let him drag me around the grounds; when I patted the bench beside me, he jumped up and gave me a kiss before jumping back down to explore again. Ok, this was it.


We looked at each other, and knew. This was our addition to the family. We went in to claim him, and found out he needed neutering ("What a lousy way to join the family!" I winced on the way out the door). We were to pick him up on Friday.


(to be continued)

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