The SPCA of Greensboro just got a puppy that was likely part of an unwanted litter. Her picture was just listed on their website, and if it was anything like the other pet adoption places I was looking at, she would be gone really quickly.
Rosie, Mercy I and headed over to their place: 20 minutes across town, to meet their limited hours: 1-4 a few days a week. We were excited, and one of the top items on our checklist for a new, furry friend is for the kids to meet and help choose this new dog.
Other things on our list:
- Low to medium energy
- Not a jumper
- not gigantic
- 1 year old
- potty trained
- not a pit bull (no shade, there are some pretty sweet pits, but our kennel doesnt take them)
- Not a barker
- likes the kids.
- Not tiny- 20-50 pounds or so.
Basically, we wanted Stormy; she set the bar pretty high. And as much as she did great, one thing she didn’t do well was bond with Rosie and Mercy. She mostly ignored that they existed, and every kid should have a childhood dog that they love and play with.
At the SPCA, it took a minute for them to go get the dog (Petunia was her name), but when they came back with her:
- She didn’t jump
- She didnt bark
- She liked the girls
- The girls liked her
- She wasnt a tiny dog
- She smelled terrible
- She didnt bite….
Her paws looked gigantic, and the girls really liked her. Her farts smelled terrible.
Ever since Stormy died, I was looking for a dog. We wanted to adopt- that part was certain. But we haven’t been through the process in a while, and way back when, Stormy was literally the only dog we looked at.
These days, the process seeemed a bit different. In order to visit a dog that is up for adoption, you have to fill out an application to adopt the dog. Then, you have to be approved. Then, you have to visit on the hours they are opened. Most are only open 15-20 hours a week, like 1-4 on Tuesdays-Thursdays, and Sunday afternoon 2-4.
Also, whenever you do finally get a chance to visit, there is a great chance the dog you want to see has already been adopted; it seems the dogs that fit my criteria above only last 2 days before getting adopted.
Add to all that, I wanted the girls to come visit the dog as well and help me make the decision. I went and saw a few by myself, but none were “the one” for our family.
Then we met Petunia. Or Hazy. The girls liked her. I liked her, and I knew she would be gone if we went home to think about it. Taylor saw the picture from the adoption site, and said “Oh Luke, she is so cute” (Taylor hardly ever sounds lovey dovey about a dog like that). Here was her picture from the adoption website:
So, we got her. Rosie was very concerned: would mommy be upset? Valid question. Maybe Rosie has more sense than I do in those kinds of situations.
We did ask the questions:
- “What kind of dog is she?” We dont know.
- “How big will she get?” We don’t know.
- “Is she potty trained?” We don’t have a house for her to visit to test if she is.
It wasn’t too helpful.
I have made lot’s of rash decisions that I have regretted; I was hoping that this wasn’t one of them.
She is pretty chill. Taylor likes her. She poops and pees everywhere; sorta. With confidence, I am trying to do all the potty training and proving that this is a decision WE will not regret.
She seems to be doing great. It has been 3 weeks, she is mostly potty trained, and I forgot how much work a puppy is. The last puppy I had was back when I was a kid- Stormy was a year old and potty trained when we got her.
It took 2 days as a family to mull over names; we picked “Hazy” because we wanted to stick with a weather theme, since our last one was “Stormy”. A close second to the selected name was “Misty”, but when put to a vote, Hazy was the winner.
She is pretty chill; doesnt chew much. She will take something like my shoe, carry it to another room, chew for 5 seconds, then move on to something else.
She isnt good at walking on a leash- she pulls. Its fine, but fast forward another 20-40 pounds, and we will have issues. She does run good though.
The first couple days, she slept on my feet while I was working- that was pretty cute.
She really likes the kids, and waits by the door for them to get home from school- she kinds knows their schedule.
The first day she came home, she took a big poo poo in Mercy’s room, and Mercy did not like that.
The family likes her- and we miss stormy.
Each morning for these last few days of school before summer break, I go into Rosie’s room and wake her up by throwing Hazy on her bed; Hazy licks Rosies face, and does a much better job getting Rosie out of bed than I ever could.
Potty training sucks; the first two weeks I watched her like a hawk- didn’t let her out of my site knowing she would immediately take a dump. We rolled up 3 rugs and put them away so she wouldnt soil them. She is learning pretty quick, and I think we can call her potty training a success.
But when she does go outside, she will take a dump on the deck instead of the yard. There is more work to be done, but hopefully it will last another 10-14 years.