Backtrack this week

This has been an especially hard week for us as I said I limped along through the Festival. Well, I hurt my left foot again last week while chasing a dog I wanted to adopt who was very strong and two years old. I so badly wanted to get Emma a friend to play with and I saw this Golden Retriever, well partly, a few weeks ago at Petsmart when we were in getting some cat food and a cat pole for Blak and Blu.

Well, they adore their new cat pole but I had been haunted by this dog who was up for adoption from Sanctuary Shelter in Alabaster, Al. where we live. When I clicked every day at http://theanimalrescuesite.com for my daily click and then went to vote for Tears Shelter in Birmingham I saw the Sanctuary Shelter and the dog they called "LUKE" was always still available for adoption. It just hurt my heart to know this dog had no place to call home like Emma when we found her. I told my daughter about his dog and got their number is case we followed through but we just hoped each day he would be adopted by someone and have what he needed.

Well, not to be! Finally last week I gave in and went to get him. He is a very active dog who needed a place to run and play. He was originally adopted by a family who went on vacation and he got out of their yard to be found by someone. They found him to be micro-chipped and called the owner who said to just keep him! What? how can anyone do this?? SO, Sanctuary took him in to find a good home.

He is a beautiful dog and weighs 68 lbs to Emma's 70 lbs, a good fit. I went to get him while Bob was getting a new tire rim for the truck so I had my car and a big pillow in the backseat while Emma rode in the front like she loves to see everyone and what is going on. When I pulled in the driveway they met us with Luke on a leash and I got Emma out on her leash. They played and had fun along with a couple of other dogs for adoption and that are owned by the two sisters who run this shelter.

Her daughter walked the dogs and there were also a couple of cats walking around. Both Emma and Luke were acknowledging the cats by turning their heads to watch them and we noticed that. Ok, I go sign the papers to adopt Luke and he hops in the back seat like Ok, we are ready! The daughters giggled at how fast he jumped in and I told them not to cry to long as we left that we would be back to visit. The leash he had on was theirs' and I would return it as soon as I got him one like it. It is made of nylon but has choke capacities, but not a metal choker.

We don't live far and when we got home my plan to take Emma in the house and then return for Luke after the cats Blak and Blu went away in the bedrooms while he came in and I could slowly introduce them.

Well, he charged out if the car the minute I opened the door and I had him and Emma on Leads but they were pulling me with them, it even pulled me out of my sandals.
It was getting dark and I thought Oh No, what if he gets away from me in the dark and I have already lost him even before I get to my own house. Well, I lost the lead and picked it back up a few times while trying to get them both under control. I finally let Emma go with her leash as I knew what she would do and not go far. AS I was trying to control Luke by now in my neighbor's yard, Bob comes home and has me in his headlights. He parks the car in our driveway and by them I had them both home so we went inside. They barreled in the front door and I got them out the back door to our fenced in backyard.

I was a mess, one of my shoe's was still outside by my car where they had pulled me out of it and the cats had gone running to hide. I got a flashlight to go find it and it was actually between my house and our neighbor's. The dogs were running around outside and ok in the back yard. That night we did not want to yet bring Luke in the house and I was told he was used to being in a crate at night outside. SO he slept on the porch by the back door and was still there sleeping when I woke the next morning. when Emma got up I let her outside and they ran and played all day. They just wore each other out playing and I decided to work outside that day as I had flowers to plant and a couple of pampas grass plants I had got for $1.00 at Lowe's. I could not pass those up and Bob loves them. I puttered around all day and when I noticed my foot hurting on the left side Bob mentioned if I had hurt it chasing the dogs the night before.

I knew it hurt but never even thought about the wild and crazy chase the night before. Yes, but, Oh No!, the memories of my foot pain! They were terrible as in 2003 that is what started my neuropathy eventually after I had a Chemotherapy performed on that foot. I just limped around hoping it would get better, but when we brought the dogs in the house, it was terror with Luke chasing the cats.

I called Sanctuary Shelter and told them my concern about Luke not responding to his name being called and his cat terror along with the fact that I cannot hold him, he is sOOOO strong! We discussed my problem and she said she had renamed him and he did not know his name. Well, that would have been real helpful to have known! Wouldn't he have to have a name to be micro-chipped? She never would tell me any of his past anymore. So, if he did not know his name, I did no have to keep the name Luke, so I re-named him " Dakota" while saying Luke too since that is what he was sort of used to hearing and ignoring. That evening we made a bed for him at the back door on some soft mats I had and an old comforter. He loved it. He slept tight all night till almost 6:30AM when it started getting light the next day. I let Emma out when she got up and they played again. They ran circles around our deck and around the yard. They pulled the stuffing from two squeaky toys to I took the stuffing and squeakers away and all they had to pull with was the cloth.

Barkley, My Grandog came over to spend the night and they played also in the backyard but I grew more concerned as Luke/Dakota nipped at Barkley. Well, Barkley is 10 years and another male so maybe that is why. I was NOT going to have him nipping another dog, NO WAY! IS there more to him I do not know?

Well, we finally decided he had to be returned and he just needed to be the only dog in a family. Gosh, this has been a hard week, so much emotion felt good and bad.
So, I pray he finds a good home that can love him the way he deserves.

My son-in-law had got me a new cane Saturday Morning when we took Barkley home before we went to the Festival Event and I used it to walk with while Bob rode the cart. He can walk but he tires so easily still. He is healing and getting stronger from his surgery and healing with sepsis. We are all getting stronger.

Smiles, Cyndi