Thoughts from the Bark Side

We just didn’t think another dog could ever fill the void in our hearts that was made when Shilo passed away. I think we have bigger hearts than we can know. We can never fill the holes made by those that have passed on, those of the human or animal variety. We just find new places to put the newcomers.

We had registered with the Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue (SCGR Rescue:http://scgrrescue.org. We had our home visit and passed, whew! We made inquiries about a few dogs, but none of them came through, until Pinky Tuscadero. The volunteer emailed us asking if we were interested in meeting her, we said, “of course” and a few days later we were in front of the Rose Bowl meeting our new dog. Pinky said, “OK, I approve, now let’s get out of here,” and off we went. We made a quick stop at the pet store. She selected a nice bed, new collar and a few toys. We also had her name changed to Shelby for the engraved tag. Pinkey was the name they used at the rescue and was not her previous name so we figured it was OK. She very much agreed with the change.

When we arrived, Shelby immediately approved her home and yard. That evening she was greeting by a large raccoon peering over the fence at her. No barking (from Shelby, not the raccoon), just staring until she got bored, and called it a night. However, she does remember where the raccoon had been and now revisits that spot every outing just in case he returns.

So it seems we have already gotten into a routine. She seems to love her walks. I’m not sure she has ever had one of those before. She knows how to sit, but we definitely have to work on stay, heel, and down. She is now curled up at my feet under my desk. Oh, she is only 65 pounds, half the weight of Shilo when we adopted him. Whereas Shilo was bigger than a normal golden, she is smaller. She is just past 3 years old. Her owners had dropped her off at the pound saying they just didn’t have the time to take care of her. And she does bark, as we discovered when the gardeners came by. It took Shilo over a month to let out a bark.

So we will continue to get to know each other. We do want to be the best humans possible for her, and I know she is equally trying to be a good dog, and she is, a very good dog indeed.
Cheers,
Susan

Hello all, Shilo here,
I got an email from Mickey from his new home. He is delighted beyond reason. They have a huge house and a gigantic backyard (gigantic to Mickey, however, is different than gigantic to me!)

He has two small humans to play with. They keep promising him “tea parties.” Not sure what that is, but hopefully it will involve treats. He has admitted to some “accidents” but he is trying to do better, he is just so overjoyed with his new home and his lovely humans.

He wants to thank Ken-Mar Rescue for finding him such a wonderful home with so many cuddles and scritches. He says life is good, and he knows he is a very, very lucky fellow.
Me too…
Your buddy,
Shilo

Hello, Shilo here,
Have you heard? There is a small, white dog in our house. But here is the strange thing… I have gotten even more attention than normal, and normally I get quite a bit. I think it is because they fear I will eat the other dog. Truthfully, he would not even make a good appetizer… BOL! I know I have shocked my humans with my tolerance, but holy heck, Sandy Claws is due to appear and I just cannot risk messing that up! This little white fur ball is actually rather cute and extremely well mannered. He never tries to take my food and only goes after my discarded toys, which is OK with me.

I understand he is waiting for his new forever home. He has another appointment tomorrow morning to interview another family. Not sure what happened with the first one, but I have to admit, he would make a great addition to the right humans. He doesn’t even talk much, just a few well thought out comments here and there. He is very grateful for anything that is done for him, which is more than some of the humans I see. Any dog that is a rescue, me included, knows how precious it is to be adopted into a new home and given food, vet care and that most important thing all creatures understand… love.

So keep your paws crossed that Mickey has a forever home for Christmas. And believe it or not, I’ll actually miss the little guy. Man, have I changed in my old age or what?
Your buddy,
Shilo

Hi all, Susan here,
Mickey is settling in. He was in the garage since we were fearful of Shilo’s reaction to him. Now with the cold snap in sunny LA, Mickey is in the house, wandering around, and Shilo has been VERY good and we are very shocked, happy, but shocked.

So Mickey just got a bath and seems very content with either a bone to chew or a lap to sleep upon. Never having had a small dog before, I guess I thought them “Yappy,” but not this little guy. He only barks when walking near the two Jack Russell Terriers at the top of the hill, and they give him what for right back. Sunday he goes off with Martie of Ken-Mar Rescue for an interview. If the family meets his approval, he just might adopt them. We told him to call us if he isn’t coming back. Just have to say good-bye!

We found out more about the other dog wandering the neighborhood. We tried to catch him a few times, but he finally came to the college age girl across the street. They put him in their side yard, but he jumped their fence and was again free. Finally the other morning, I was out with Mickey and that dog takes off after a coyote that was just passing on the sidewalk in front of our house. Holy smokes! The dog came back no worse for wear having chased off the coyote and I yelled at him, “Are you crazy? They eat dogs for fun!”. He came right to me. Showed him who is alpha.

We had to leave for a short while and thought putting him in our backyard would be a good idea, knowing he couldn’t escape our high fences. We were right, he didn’t escape, but he tore up the gate pretty bad-2×4 construction, shredded. (Lock me up, I’ll show you!) My husband made the observation he really didn’t look hungry, in fact he hadn’t even eaten the food we put out for him. He was also dry and since it had been raining, we wondered… Is this dog just escaping during the day and returning home at night? So, I wrote a letter.. “Dear Dog Owner” and explained the situation, put it in a plastic baggie, and taped it to the dogs collar and reluctantly set him loose. The owner called that night! He had no idea that “Toby” was getting out and roaming so far away (3 streets and several blocks away.) Toby is a Husky/Chow mix-just our guess. Huskies are known to be wanderers. However, Toby has again been sighted on our street, alone… but now with tags. Just wish he would stop sleeping in the middle of the street!

Ciao’ Chow
Susan