Meet my dogs, Shadow and Rascal.
Now that you know a little ABOUT me, let me introduce you to my dogs! They are my best friends and help calm me when I'm feeling uncomfortable, especially when we're out in public. They're not service animals, just awesome four-legged friends.
I figured I'd introduce them since there's a chance I may mention them or write about them in future posts.
Meet Shadow
BREED: LAB/HEELER MIX
SEX: MALE/NEUTERED
WEIGHT: 70 LBS
COLOR: BLACK/WHITE
EYES: BROWN
BIRTHDAY GUESSTIMATE: 12/28/06
"GOTCHA" DATE: 02/28/07
NICKNAMES: Big Dog, My Love, Shad-doo-doo
Before I adopted Shadow, I had a terrible fear of dogs. I was bitten when I was 6 years old and it scared me for life. Literally. The scar is still on my right hand.
One night, I kid you not, I dreamed of someone telling me I needed a puppy. So, I got one.
It wasn't an impulse adoption. I did research and had my mind set on adopting an older, tamed, and trained dog. After all, this was going to be my very first dog, ever. Several colleagues suggested my thought process was correct, but there were a few that urged me to get a puppy and train it myself. Getting a puppy would help me slowly outgrow my fear of dogs.
When I arrived at the humane society and told a volunteer my situation, including my fear of dogs that I was determined to break out of, she handed me a 7-week-old lab mix runt named Uggers. She took us to a room, handed me a blanket and some dog toys, and told me I could meet other dogs after I spent a little time with this quiet guy.
Uggers was terrified initially. He sat in a corner. Because of my ignorance at the time, I didn't know what to do. So, I sat on the floor, pulled out my phone, and played a game while I waited for the volunteer to return.
After about 15 minutes (yes, I'm a patient person and waited until the volunteer returned), there was a puppy lying on my lap. He stared up at me with a toy in his mouth. We played and cuddled. It was awesome!
I didn't meet with any other dogs that day, nor did I adopt him right on the spot. The next day I returned to the humane society and was taken back to his litter's cage. Uggers was the only one with a white chest. His litter mates were mostly black with white paws, so it was easy to spot him cowering in the back corner. As soon as he saw me, he ran, sat, and patiently waited for the volunteer to open the door.
He came home with me a few days later. When we got home, I remember carrying him and introducing him to our reflection in the mirror. I don't know why. It just made sense to me at the time, I guess.
I thought about keeping the name "Uggers," but he never answered to it. After about three weeks, I decided to throw out random names until he finally responded to "Shadow."
Our bond grew strong, quickly. It's so strong that he could tell when my blood sugar was low. I kept a health-related diary before I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar (I'm not diabetic). In my diary, I noted every time Shadow nibbled on my cheeks before I checked my glucose to verify that it was low.
He's relatively healthy and strong for a 13-year-old senior dog. His back, right hip was displaced when he was 2 years old. He now has arthritis and takes meds to ease the pain. He also has lipomas, noncancerous fat-filled lumps on his body. The most noticeable that people ask about is on his chest. It doesn't hurt or impede with his ability to move, but it is itchy for him from time to time.
Shadow loves watching TV, car rides around town, trips to art and bookstores, visits to my Mom's house, looking at himself in mirrors, and traveling long distances in the RV.
By the way, Shadow did help me get over my fear of dogs... obviously.
Meet Rascal
BREED: CHIHUAHUA/TERRIER MIX
SEX: MALE/NEUTERED
WEIGHT: 18 LBS
COLOR: WHITE/TAN
EYES: BROWN
BIRTHDAY GUESSTIMATE: 04/06/15
"GOTCHA" DATE: 07/05/15
NICKNAMES: Small Dog, Cocoa, Rat
Rascal is my cuddle buddy, for sure! He loves attention, but not from strangers. He's scared of a lot of things. Children frighten him the most for some reason. When we're outdoors, such as a park, he often hides under Shadow for protection. I've tried to condition him to many people and situations. He's getting better with dogs and people, but I can't seem to shake him of his fear of children. It's an ongoing work-in-progress.
When I lived in my old hometown, Shadow and I used to pick up friendly, stray dogs off the street and care for them until I reunited them with their owners. It was common to see loose dogs in my old hometown. When we moved to my current hometown about 7 years ago, we rarely saw stray, loose dogs. This area is great at keeping dogs safe and off the street.
One day a small dog covered in mud came up to us at a park. The number on the dog's tag was out of service. I took the dog home, gave her a bath, fed her, and took her to the vet for a checkup. Shadow played with her and stayed by her side the whole time. The vet's office was able to reach her owner, and they took care of her from there.
I forgot how much I missed having other dogs around and thought it would be worthwhile to get a second dog for me and Shadow. It took 7 months before I felt that Shadow and I found the right puppy to bring home.
His shelter name was "Walter." He never answered to that name. Like Shadow, I threw out random names until he finally responded to "Rascal." For some reason my Mom refuses to call him by his name. Instead, she calls him "Cocoa," and he responds to it.
Rascal loves car rides around town, ice cream, visits to my Mom's house, snuggling in fluffy blankets, walks alongside my RC car, and traveling long distances in the RV.
Now That You've Met My Dogs...
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam