We're Adopting a Dog!!!

Just when I thought it couldn't happen. I was just feeling sorry for myself on Friday at the GNO that we would never be able to find an adult dog that we felt comfortable having around the birds. I thought that we would either have to get a puppy or no dog at all. Keeping hope alive, we went to a Stray Rescue adoption event at Four Muddy Paws in Lafayette Square on Saturday. We made our way out to the dogs up for adoption and I chatted with some of the foster parents and volunteers. I noticed Jason talking to a woman with a dog. The dog didn't have a Stray Rescue bandana on, so I figured he was the woman's own pet. As it turns out, she is his foster mom and he was up for adoption.

Now, we have gone to meet several dogs that we've seen online and Jason hasn't really taken the initiative to talk to any of their fosters. It was different with Linda, the foster mom of the dog, Lee. We learned that he is 1-2 years old, is a pit bull mix, and was abandoned by his former owners before Stray Rescue brought him in through their "Abandoned, Not Forgotten" program. He had been living at a vet clinic until his foster home was found. We also learned that even though Linda had only had him for about a week, she was very attached to him because he's such a good boy.

Even with all the other dogs around him, he just sat there and was really mellow. We walked him down the street and he walked perfectly on his leash-no pulling, lots of slack, and wanted to be on the left. We decided we would try him out for Rent-a-Pet. Since we volunteer and they know us, and since we've filled out applications for other dogs in the past, they let us take Lee with us.

He got in the car and went to sleep. I immediately called my sister Jenny so that he could meet Leo. We took them to Forest Park and they enjoyed each other's company. Then the big test. How would he react to Monty and Lola? First we showed them to him in their cages. He was interested, but not overly so. We worked up to getting Monty out and putting him on the coffee table while one person held Lee on his leash nearby. Lee wasn't very interested. When Lola came out and flew laps around the living room, he didn't even stand up. We couldn't ask for anything more than that, considering he just met us and came into our home for the first time.

So, we decided to continue "renting" him overnight.

We had such a fun weekend with him. We took him to the Central West End and ate dinner on a patio, where he just laid down and went to sleep. He met both his grandmas, and played all afternoon on Sunday with his new buddy Leo and my aunt's dog, Blue. He met my two youngest nephews, and was fine with Henry poking his eye and saying, "he has green eyes." He is house- and crate-trained, knows basic commands, and is very quiet. How could we pass this dog up? He's basically perfect.

Oh, and I was worried that Monty would be traumatized by having a huge "predator" at home, but that's not the case. Monty is more curious about Lee than Lee is about him. Monty came right to the bottom of his cage when I first brought Lee over. He walked to the edge of the coffee table, wanting to go over to meet Lee. Scary, but we are being extremely vigilant.

We are currently in the application process and if everything goes well, we can expect to have a new member of the family soon. I have to say that in the last few days, I've thought about my dad less than I have since he died. Not that I'm forgetting about him, but I've been less sad. Dad probably would have been skeptical of a pit bull mix, but would have learned to appreciate what good dog Lee is.

Sorry for the loooooooooong post. I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot about him. We're thinking of changing his name slightly-to Levi. It's still close to Lee, but has two syllables, and is not as close to "Leo."

Jason is not wearing a wife-beater. He just got finished riding and that's what he wears under his jersey.

I love his beautiful eyes:

We took him over to my mom's on Sunday and he had a blast with Leo:

He loves his auntie Jenny already:

I don't think he'll be a swimmer:




And just a shout-out to Linda, Lee's foster mom who is such a nice person. People that foster are truly selfless. They basically take in unwanted animals, get attached to them, then give them up so that they can do it all over again. We hope to keep in touch with Linda over the years:)