Tag: dog quest

It’s a Girl! (And her name is Gizmo.)

GIZMO! Pay no attention to the dark spots under her chin, she just had a drink of water.

Third…er…fifth time is the charm! I sent in an application for Miss Gizmo on Thursday, and got a call that I could come meet her at Petsmart on Saturday at 1. Petsmart is not the ideal place to meet an animal; it’s busy and noisy and stressful. The rescue had an x-pen set up near the register for visiting a potential adoptee, which is all they can do there, but again, less than optimal.

Gizmo was a trembling little bundle when I first took her to the pen, but after a few minutes of talking and petting, she relaxed and her personality began to emerge. She’s a friendly, confident little dog. She’s 7 lbs., 4 years old, and a Yorkie/Chihuahua mix. (Allegedly some schnauzer in there too, but I question that.)

Once we got out of the chaos and noise of the store, she relaxed immediately. She insisted on riding home (a very short trip) on my lap, which we will have to work on because that’s not safe, but just this once….

Sophie was delighted with her immediately, and got on her nerves following her around sniffing – Gizmo actually had to show her tiny teeth and growl a bit to get her to knock it off. Ellie just gave me a look like “Really, Mom?? WHY?” and otherwise doesn’t care. Gizmo went right up to her and sniffed her face and Ellie just held still and let her; they’re already politely ignoring each other.

We had a good first night; she decided she didn’t want to sleep in the big bed but was very happy on an old down throw on the floor. We did have an accident overnight, but that’s to be expected as she learns the rhythm of the household. She doesn’t appear to have walked on a leash much so that’s a bit of a learning curve, but she’s catching on fast.

It’s cold here today, lower 50s and damp and gray. We had to break out the sweaters last night. Murphy’s old red sweater, the first one I ever made him, fits Gizmo perfectly. And she’s claimed Murphy’s favorite spot on the couch. I’m glad I never got rid of those nasty old pillows; they’re actually filled with feathers and mold themselves perfectly to a Yorkie’s little butt.

And for whatever reason, the last updates to either the Mac OS or WordPress has led to annoying issues with both, so it’s taking me way longer to get a post out than it should. I am going to go to the store and pick up a few new dog needs, like more treats and a proper bed.

More later!

The Dog Quest Continues

And I’m really getting frustrated with these rescue groups. For the second time in about 5 days, I’ve been contacted in response to my application, prepared to meet a potential new baby, only to have it snatched away a few hours later. One did apologize to me, “I’m sorry, she’s been adopted,” like three hours after she told me I could meet her. The next one emailed me and when I responded to ask when we could meet, went radio silent and the dog disappeared from the website.

Frustrated, hell, I’m getting PISSED. This isn’t like first come, first serve for a futon at a garage sale -you have to fill out an application and get approved, they contact references, there’s a home visit, so if there’s already at least one application ahead of mine, it would be a courtesy to say, “Just letting you know there’s an application (or twenty) ahead of yours.”

Instead, it was “Do you want to come meet her?” and I respond with an enthusiastic “Yes!” and got the when and where, which was followed in about three hours by “I’m sorry, she’s been adopted.” Which means there must have been an approved adopter in the wings when you contacted me, so WHAT the actual FUCK was that about?

I just contacted yet another rescue, and when I did I realized I need to write down the rescue’s name when I send the online application. There’s no paper trail on my end, it’s done online. I’d like to remember which ones already broke my heart.

The Dog Quest

It’s been four years since I lost my soul-dog, the beloved Bossy Little Dog, Murphy.

Oh look, here he is on the gross old balcony carpet! This was in 2015, shortly before he began his final decline – he was 15 in this picture.

I still had Sophie of course, and she adjusted pretty well to being an only dog. Murphy wasn’t much company for her in the last months of his life.

So she was an only dog for almost a year, until I woke up one day with an urge to get a kitten. (Spoiler alert: I did not get a kitten.) Ellie fit into the household like she was meant to be; she’s smart, affectionate, well behaved, and everything a cat should be. She is the Finest Cat Who Ever Catted. But, she’s not a dog. She is good company for Sophie, but it’s not the same.

My downstairs neighbor had her adult daughter staying with her temporarily; her daughter has a precious little Yorkie mix (she was told it was purebred, but naah) and Sophie fell in love with her. They moved out a couple of weeks ago, and Sophie still pauses in the courtyard to see if her little friend is there. She’d love to have another small doggie friend, and I think it would be good for her health.

Sophie is now 10 and a half, she’s had some health issues and is now starting to develop cataracts. She’s basically at the stage Murphy was in when I brought Sophie into the family – he was around 9 and just starting his battle with lymphangiectasia, and she was a year old, given up by a show breeder who just had too many Bostons. They felt she wasn’t getting enough attention in the crowd, so she became mine. It was a great match from day one, and Murphy went from acting like a droopy old man focused on his digestive troubles to his fun, bossy self overnight. I swear she added years to his life with her companionship.

BFFs in their youth, about 10 years ago! God, time flies!

So I’ve had great luck with blending new animals into the family so far, and I want to do it again. I’ve been looking, but damn, it’s hard! I know it’s hard because I’m somewhat picky: I want a young adult, preferably 5 years or younger, with no chronic health issues right off the bat, because I already have an expensive health issues dog. It needs to get along with dogs, cats and kids, and be 20 lbs or under (preferably 15 lbs or under) so they’re compatible on walks. And it needs to have that – indefinable spark – that I see when I meet a dog that will be sympatico, and blend with the household.

Yeah. EVERY TIME a dog that fits appears in a search, it gets snatched up before I can finish filling out the inquiry form. The rest, while I’m sure would be the right dog for someone else, wouldn’t work for me:

Must be on a strict medication schedule for chronic issues;

can’t walk on a leash so must have a fenced yard;

must have someone at home all day because of severe separation anxiety (boy, there’s a lot of that)

and the far too frequent refrain: Must be an Only Dog. No Cats, No Kids please.

So, apparently a lot of small dogs are given up for adoption because they are high maintenance assholes. One of the bios of an otherwise suitable-sounding shih tzu mix actually described him as high maintenance, and said he’ll be aggressive with other dogs while demanding all of your attention. They didn’t use the word “asshole,” but I could read between the lines.

Yesterday alone, two very promising little candidates were snatched out from under me in hours. It’s challenging and depressing, especially when my own cousin who had a Yorkie was just GIVEN another one by a friend who couldn’t keep her, and now has two happy little dogs whose pictures are all over Facebook. Grrr. I’m willing to drive all over the state for the right dog. There should be a matchmaking service.