Just like us!

We used to have two dogs. The dogs weren't housetrained so they lived in the back shed/dog house. They had a huge dog run at the old house. They were very aggressive dogs, loveable but just too much for the kids to handle (and truth be told, I felt guilty about them being outside dogs what with the harsh Winters we have here in Ohio!!) When we moved, we realised that we would have to give them up. The new house didn't have a fenced in yard, and it was too late to train them to be house dogs plus we didn't have the time to do it what with us working and the kids being at school.

So we did what responsible people do. Took them to the pound and paid a hefty (HEFTY!!!) donation in the hopes that someone would be able to adopt them.

Well, time has passed and George decided (for some unknown reason) that he would like to have another dog.

Within limits. It had to fit within the following guidelines:

• Be Lazy
• Be Housetrained
• Be Lovable
  

Not much to ask you would think. He had heard that Basset Hounds fit within the above limits, yet all the prices we had had ranged from expensive to VERY expensive so that idea pretty much took a shit.

I suggested that we go back to the pound and see what was there. So yesterday was the day. Now, I kinda knew we would come back with some kind of dog not necessarily a Basset Hound, as George has this thing about dogs. I can't explain it but......it's a thing!

We walked around the cages and our ears bled from the barking, the constant barking! If you have never been to a pound, let me explain a few things to you. First of all, if you so much as show any kind of liking toward one particular dog, the rest of the dogs howl, bark and just go insane! You can almost hear them saying "Why not me? why not me? Hey, can't you see little old adorable me over here? Come on..........!!!!" Secondly, your heart breaks because you know you can't take them all but you would if you could and you know that if you take one, you have to leave the rest! It's very sad.

So, getting back to our looking at the dogs.

There was actually a Basset Hound there. Georgia and I walked over to it, to read the information pinned on the cage and the thing went mental! Not in a "Yeah, you have come to rescue cute and cuddly old me" way, but more of a "Come near my cage and I shall eat you alive" kind of way! Then we saw the pinned information sheet that clearly says, in Bold Block letters "DOES NOT LIKE CHILDREN". Having 5 kids pretty much shot that down (though sometimes I have been known to threaten the kids with "I'll take you to the pound and maybe someone will adopt you" and on a few occasions "I'll feed you to the dogs!" but keep that on the D.L. OK?)

We saw a few Pit Bulls (then quickly walked away), a couple of ugly dogs (Hey, there are enough ugly people in this family, we don't need to add another one!) and then George directed me to a black dog, just sitting in it's cage. It barked when the other dogs barked but not quite as loud. It was a big black ball of fur.

To be honest, the first thing on my mind was "But I have a cream colored carpet!!!!" but the note said that not only was the dog housetrained but that it was good with kids! So we took him into a small room where they let you bond with the dog. The dog didn't jump, bark, attack or anything. It sat when we told it to (a clear bonus point!) and was just pleasant. We had the pound people bring in a cat to see how the dog reacted with that (we already have 2 cats) and all was fine.

So. After a few form filling minutes, vet and shot details, a trip to the local Petsmart and a slavering short journey home, we welcomed home our new pet.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you:

Bailey

So far, we have walked him, fed him, played with him and loved him. He is perfect. Lazy when we need him to be, playful when we want to play with him and just lovely. I didn't wake up to a house full of chewed furniture and a dog with an expression that said "It was the cats!".

I woke up to an adorable dog.