After many months of searching online and visits and looking at Craigslist for a possible match, I made a commitment. I got a dog.
Her pound name was Cookie, and the first night I had her at my house, I kept having anxious dreams about how I would find the dog the next morning. It was like Wayne's World with the alternate endings. In one of the dreams, after finding the house a mess, I had called the dog, Mickey, so I felt that somewhere in my subconscious that this should be the dog's name. I figured it sounded enough like Cookie to hopefully not confuse her too badly. So now I have a dog named Mickey (no relation to the mouse).
When I went to look at dogs on Sunday at the Highland Village Weekend Adoption Center, I was a bit sad, because I had just found out my nieces' amazing dog, Sparky, had been killed by a car. So perhaps my heart was a bit more tender that day. Whatever the case, this dog was the first one that I had seen that looked healthy and when I went up to the crate, she moved her head to be petted and licked my hand. She also learned the word stop pretty quickly, so before I knew what was happening, I had a dog! And then I was at PetSmart buying a crate and food and dog bones.
Yesterday was our first visit to the vet, and Mickey had a great time. She really loves people. Her guard dog skills are pretty much null. The vet also told me that instead of being about two like the adoption place said, she's closer to eight months to a year.
We've been trying to get dog walking down, and I keep telling her that I am the Alpha Dog, but she still pulls a lot. We're working on it. Now that I know she has puppy power still, I feel a little more hopeful about my dog training techniques.
If you are looking for a visit from a dog to cheer you up, let me know, and I'll let you meet her. But be prepared for lots of doggie love! She's a lover not a fighter.
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