Desert Crone

I've started thinking about getting a dog.

Ever since Sophie died people have been telling me to get another dog, and that I should get a small one. Why? No offense small dog lovers, but a yappy little dog would drive me nuts. I enjoy taking care of them when their owners are away and the one I sleep over with, Pepe, is sweet as sugar and does beautifully on the leash but he doesn't bark, he yaps. Besides, I didn't even want to think about another dog - I couldn't replace Sophie.

The Sahuarita Sun, which comes every Wednesday morning without fail, publishes pictures and stories of animals rescued by The Animal League of Green Valley (TALGV). Mostly they're cats with a dog or two thrown in. I always read about them and think "Oh I'd love to help that cat/dog, but......" Well, I guess the buts are gone because I've made two trips over there to look at the dogs.......

                                                                                                                                           

It all started with Raven. Look at that face. She was seen scrounging for food along a local country road. Folks in a nearby subdivision tried for two weeks to coax her into captivity with a food trap. Smart girl, she dug under the trap to get the food! TALGV changed the trap and she was finally brought in from the cold. The look on her face was enough for me. It reminded me of Sophie when she was sick.  I was going to call to see if they still had her but I jumped into the car and drove over instead. Should've called. They were closed. So I went the next day and learned she had sexually transmitted canine uterine cancer. (The look on her face says "help me" I just wasn't thinking "help me, I'm sick.") I probably got the terminology wrong but the gist is she got it from a male dog as a result of mating. Didn't even know that could happen. And when it was being explained to me she said it was transmitted sexually just like us. Well, that made me think of Aids, not cancer. Anyway, she wasn't at the facility because she'd had surgery was still getting chemo shots. Raven was going to be getting special care off site for a while. But the seed was planted.

About a week later I'd checked out all the animals on their web site and decided to make a visit to Boomer,

an older dog - they figured 4-5 yrs old. He was found along a road in the same area Raven was.  And he's also a black lab mix. I had a lab many years ago. He was sweet and easy to train but Jesse said he'd heard something about male black labs. Couldn't remember it but it wasn't good. So I researched the subject and didn't find any damning evidence. Off I went to see Boomer. "Cool," I thought,"Jesse's working on a boomer (an older class of submarine)." Turns out Boomer's a love. Sweet as can be but way, way too strong for me on the lead. Plus he wasn't good on the commands.  We had a long walk and by the time we were done my back was screaming at me. It's a no-go for me and Boomer.   

The lady I'd worked with, Rose, said she'd be in again on Tuesday and would work with me to find a good fit. I studied the dogs and their stories and showed up today with dogs and questions in mind.

This is Georgette. She's Boomer's roomate so of course I'd seen her before. She was found running loose with another dog in an area I'm not familiar with. She has an interesting brindle look and is bright and eager to be on the leash. She and I just didn't connect. She was ok on the lead but would not respond to my commands, tho she did respond to the volunteer who was working with me. Her name is Candy. So now Rose and Candy are both helping me.  What neat people they are! I told them my limitations and that I was going to take my time making a decision because I believe the dog should be as happy with the match as me. I haven't the energy for a puppy or the strength for a BIG dog.  But when my dog barks I want to hear a woof, not a yap!.......................................      

 When I read Stella doesn't like small dogs I thought "this is the dog for me"! She's an Australian/German shepherd mix and was surrendered by her owner because they had too many dogs. She was ok on the lead if she was rewarded so I think she's learning from the volunteers. Look how alert she is!  You can't tell from the photo but she has a very long, thin body. Sweet girl and the herding instinct showed. They're using her to settle down a really nervous new dog and say the change in the new guy was almost instant. He has a way to go tho. When we returned her to their yard she went right to him, corralled him, and off they went. It was very cool to watch.

Laney is an Irish Setter mix and was surrendered along with her brother - a Pointed Griffon/Terrier mix - because their elderly owner could no longer care for them. She was the last dog I walked. They'd like to keep the dogs together if they can.  But when they told me someone is looking at her brother I decided to go ahead and see what happened, Well. First off she's so much prettier than the picture. Her coat absolutely glistens. Her teeth are good and there's no lean to the side when she sits - no hip problems. She's great on the lead and responded to my commands. And here's the clincher -- when I stopped walking so did she. She not only didn't pull on the leash, she sat at my side. Plus, she kissed my face....................................

Raven will be back at TALGV on Thursday. There's a chance the people who've been nursing her will adopt her. Her prognosis is good and everybody at the shelter is crazy for her. Before I left Candy asked if I wanted to put a "hold" on Laney but I said no. If someone comes in between now and Thursday who will take her and her brother it will be better for them. They'll mourn each other if they're separated, they've been together four years, since he was a puppy.

I'm torn. I know I'm a rescuer - I think it's genetic cause Mom is too. What if I connect with Raven like I did with Laney? I can't take them both. They say Raven is so sweet she'll be adopted quickly. These are volunteers but is this a "sales" ploy? You know -" this is a great car/house/boat/whatever but I've already got somebody who's really interested in it".   Laney is an old dog, she's 6, so I'm hoping if her brother goes alone before Thursday she'll still be there. 

Ok. I've decided. I'm going over there tomorrow to see what they feed the dogs so I'll have some on hand. And maybe Laney likes chew toys.............