Last Saturday we got another rescue dog. I’ve gotten no writing done this week (except journaling about the dog). After some thought I named her Reggie because her personality reminded me of Audrey Hepburn’s character in Charade.
At 8.5 pounds, she’s the smallest dog I’ve ever had. Age guestimate is that she’s about a year old.
Percy, aka The Muse Dog, had made it clear that he wanted a companion after the demise of our elderly (17 years!) rescue dog in October. He is now in a “be careful what you wish for” situation because she loves to play and is already running both of us ragged.
She’s not quite housebroken, so I haven’t been able to just lose myself in the book I’m writing because I have to keep a close eye on her to jump and run if she gives the slightest signal that she wants to go out. She won’t wait for me to finish a paragraph or even a thought. Also, I have to keep a close eye on her because almost every dog I’ve rescued has chewed something, no matter how closely I watch them. I think with rescue dogs there’s a lot of anxiety in new situations. Though I have to say she’s settling in with astonishing speed.
She was listed as a Yorkie-Maltese mix, but it’s clear to everyone that she has some dachshund in her because of the disproportionately short legs and long body. My vet guessed there’s Cairn Terrier in the mix, but if she’s full-grown there has to be something smaller than Cairn or even miniature Dachsie in the mix since the vet also assessed her weight to be “just right”. Her fur is very soft and silky, like Percy’s. He’s about 4 years old and twice her size; with her short legs she can run right under him, though her preferred strategy is to pounce from above. She’s quite the climber and often settles on the back of chair or couch.
She spent at least part of December on the street and was turned into Animal Control on 12.12.12. Cold days to be on the street. She spent 2.5 weeks there before she was rescued by one of the Houston area rescue groups. (Houston has a staggering number of rescue groups that foster dogs and cats from local shelters in the Greater Houston area.) She was spayed Wednesday of last week, posted on Petfinders last Friday (a week ago today). I saw the listing on Saturday, and went straight to see her, taking Percy with us. They got along fine. We adopted her on the spot. Reggie and Percy have really bounded since we got her home. From the time she was turned into Animal Control until we adopted her was only 24 days. We don’t know how long she had been on the street. She’s been through a lot of upheaval in the past few weeks. It’s been wonderful watching her relax into her new home this past week. Even if she has been a shaggy little distraction and I’ve gotten no work done on the book. Best excuse to procrastinate ever!
She’s very vivacious and smart. Frisky and funny and a real sweatheart. We are lucky to have found each other.
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