Skip to main content

New Addition to the Family


Erin and I were sitting on the sofa the other night, all being the modern family, each with a laptop on our respective laps. Erin paused, looked up and said, "You know, I really love Amy's dog, Miner. That is a great dog." This is in reference to her recent trip to Iowa to visit her (our) sister Amy, and Miner is Amy's black lab. In what was likely a calculated move as part of a long-term strategy to convince me to get a dog, Erin then added, "I'd really like a dog someday."

Well, it turns out that a long-term propaganda strategy wasn't necessary. For some reason, Erin forgot that A) I love dogs and B) one of the reasons I've wanted to own our own house is because it would allow us to get a dog. The way I see it, we've had our own house for nearly a year, so we've been waiting a long damn time for a dog!

So I looked up from my computer and said, "Yeah, me too. Let's go get a dog." Erin took a long look at me, presumably to let this statement sink in and to give enough time for me to crack up laughing in case it was a cruel joke. But I didn't laugh, the statement sunk in, and we went from two laptops to one with the browser URL aimed at the Pasadena Animal Shelter. We also looked a the Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue because we both love Labs.

We agreed that we didn't want a puppy, and instead would prefer a dog > 4 years old that is calm, already trained and housebroken, and good with kids. Pit Bulls, chihuahuas and great Danes were out. A lab or a lab mix would be preferred.

We arrived at the shelter, took a number (a buzzer) and started looking around. Several dogs caught our eye, including a super-sweet 8-year-old German Shepherd, a 2-year-old boxer (that was really probably 10 months old), several lab mixes and a large-but-not-huge Dane mix named Luna. We first "interviewed" a lab mix named Handsome. He was great with kids, but strong. Like, Super-Mutt strong. Rip-your-arm-off strong. He was also shedding like mad. Next we met the way-too-young boxer. He was beautiful, but when we saw him leap over a bench to sniff something on the other side, rather than walking around it, we knew he was too rambunctious for us. A flying Owen and a delicate-flower-Mar is plenty to keep our hands full without chasing down a speeding Boxer after he digs under our hedge.

Our last interview was with a Lab-Greyhound mix named Wally. Wally was the only dog not barking in his cage when other dogs walked by, and when I went with the keeper to walk him back to the "socialization area," he barely tugged on the leash, despite being surrounded by his barking neighbors.

When Wally got into the socialization area, he wandered around sniffing stuff, but walked around obstacles rather than leaping them in a single bound. His fur was short and glossy, with minimal shedding. His mannerisms were purposeful yet calm. Marcus grabbed his ear and he didn't even flinch. The keeper let us grab his tail and he didn't mind. Owen decided to leap off of the bench and landed right by Wally's head. I flinched, but Wally did not. Wally gave a strong interview.


I'll let Erin take it from here:

We had some "family"discussions with the kids about how we wanted to find a dog that everyone liked, and one who would do things our family enjoyed - outdoor adventures, jogging with mommy & playing with us in the yard. After a lot of window-shopping at the various kennels, Owen said with much concern, "I don't really know if I want a dog. They're cute, but they poop all over our yard". It was tough to hold back the chuckles, but talk of a special poop-scooping device swayed him back to the dog-side.

We shared our concerns & enthusiasm with the shelter staff as we discussed making Wally a member of our family. While at the pound, the boys seemed a bit indifferent about the idea of a dog in our house, the moment I walked in with Wally, Owen's face lit up and jaw dropped to his lap.

What followed was a full-family exploration of our space through Wally's eyes, some experimenting with placement of his bed & lots of fetch in the yard. It won't be long before he's catching frisbees! He's got some pretty good manners, recognizes us (John & me) as the alphas, and is fitting right into the family. To our delight, Marcus says his name beautifully, and even held Monkey out to give Wally a welcome home kiss.



(The crazy-person voice is actually John using his doggie-talk voice. Well, okay, perhaps there isn't a difference.)

Comments

Anonymous said…
How fun! Wally looks delighted with your lawn and his new toy! :)
Karin said…
That is a lucky dog right there! He's hit the jackpot in getting adopted by you all!

And what a great name! He looks like an awesome dog. We got a dog when I was about Owen's age, and having her around was one of the highlights of my childhood. I'm so happy for you all!!!
jcom said…
YES!! This is amazing, congratulations guys! Did he list his ability to go to town on a Kong on his CV? He sounds like the perfect addition to the family, enjoy!
Amy P said…
Yay! So excited Miner played a roll in making it happen.
mama mia said…
he looks quite lovable to me :) hurray for Wally!
Cory said…
YAY! Welcome to weird weird world of being a dog guardian!! Congrats!
Bonzer said…
He clearly loves his new family! Congratulations!

Popular posts from this blog

A view from your shut down

The Daily Dish has been posting reader emails reporting on their " view from the shutdown ." If you think this doesn't affect you, or if you know all too well how bad this is, take a look at the growing collection of poignant stories. No one is in this alone except for the nutjobs in the House. I decided to email Andrew with my own view. I plan to send a similar letter to my congressperson. Dear Andrew, I am a professor of astronomy at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The CfA houses one of the largest, if not the largest collection of PhD astronomers in the United States, with over 300 professional astronomers and roughly 100 doctoral and predoctoral students on a small campus a few blocks west of Harvard Yard. Under the umbrella of the CfA are about 20 Harvard astronomy professors, and 50 tenure-track Smithsonian researchers. A large fraction of the latter are civil servants currently on furlough and unable to come to work. In total, 147 FTEs

The Long Con

Hiding in Plain Sight ESPN has a series of sports documentaries called 30 For 30. One of my favorites is called Broke  which is about how professional athletes often make tens of millions of dollars in their careers yet retire with nothing. One of the major "leaks" turns out to be con artists, who lure athletes into elaborate real estate schemes or business ventures. This naturally raises the question: In a tightly-knit social structure that is a sports team, how can con artists operate so effectively and extensively? The answer is quite simple: very few people taken in by con artists ever tell anyone what happened. Thus, con artists can operate out in the open with little fear of consequences because they are shielded by the collective silence of their victims. I can empathize with this. I've lost money in two different con schemes. One was when I was in college, and I received a phone call that I had won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas. All I needed to d

back-talk begins

me: "owen, come here. it's time to get a new diaper" him, sprinting down the hall with no pants on: "forget about it!" he's quoting benny the rabbit, a short-lived sesame street character who happens to be in his favorite "count with me" video. i'm turning my head, trying not to let him see me laugh, because his use and tone with the phrase are so spot-on.