We wanted to wait until our grief about Steve had settled and the summer vacations were over before looking for a new dog. Then we had William’s hospital stay as well. But then I started looking at the Skagit Humane Society page more closely. We visited once looking for a dog without success. I signed up for alerts for lab dogs at the shelter and yesterday got this notice.
I was working today, but Tom went, visited and said he was the only dog not barking there. And he seemed friendly, sniffing his hand. I went by after work and took him out to their dog area for a meeting. He was obviously really nervous.
But he seemed to get a little more comfortable and definitely enjoyed being petted.
I called Tom, and we decided to adopt him. While I was waiting I found our tile there commemorating our deceased pets. This is from a while ago because we have a lot more deceased pets now.
Here is Teddy after I got him into my car in their parking lot.
And here he is as we arrived in our driveway.
Now he’s in the front yard looking somewhat nervous.
Raleigh is being standoffish with a fluffy tail.
We have a Seahawks game to watch so he came in with us. He was initially staying really close.
Tom seems to love him already (as do I).
In head profile, he looks a little like our dog Vanessa. She was my all time favorite dog (sorry Steve- I loved you too!).
I pulled out the wine glass that Tom got me for Christmas. I have had a hard time using it because Steve died 5 days after Christmas, it says “pet the dogs”, and we didn’t have plural dogs anymore. It always made me sad when I pulled it out. But now we have plural dogs again!
He is starting to get more comfortable.
Wally is taking it all in stride. She even chased him around the house once. Roscoe is quite upset, hissing and spitting even when he isn’t close. So far he is quite respectful of them and the beagle.
And now he even fell asleep.
I think this is going to work out perfectly. Less sure about the Seahawks.
P.S. We may end up calling him Ted rather than Teddy (with apologies to my cousin). Tom even suggested Ted Lasso. Not sure that is going to fly.
Welcome, Ted! You’re a very handsome fellow; I love the subtle variations in your coat color!
Donna, could the shelter give you any of his history?
He is a handsome fellow. He is clearly nervous which is understandable. The shelter provided a lot of information. He was a surrender by a family with kids with his father, an Australian Shepherd, because they couldn’t take care of them anymore. They went through a lot of behavioral questions. Everything looks good except he hasn’t been around cats.
Welcome Teddy! You hit the jackpot, fella! (I kind of like Ted Lasso) He’s a handsome boy. I can see the nervous panting that he’s doing. In all your photos. He’s panting except when he’s sleeping 🙂 but that’s pretty typical for those first 24 hours or so. It sounds like a great match and I’m so happy for him and happy for you guys too! I’ll look forward to hearing about his adventures with his new family. 💙🐾
He is a handsome fellow. He has had a rough couple of days. He is drinking a lot. I am hoping that is a nervous habit that will settle down. Quite clingy too. He got on my lap after I posted. It’s challenging having a 75# dog on your lap.
Yes, that water guzzling seems to be typical for a lot of them. I have had a couple that came from situations where their access to water was intentionally limited, so every time I refilled the water bowl with fresh, they would tank up again. I don’t restrict water, ever, but it was hard not to in these cases (one wasn’t house trained, and there was a LOT of pee in the house) where they drink so much that they end up regurgitating blats of syrupy water. But they eventually learn that water is always available and they don’t need to drink like that.
Sniffy games and long lasting chews/chew toy or licky mats can help with calming/anxiety relief too.