Here is your chance to say "I told you so". It only took 48 hours and we decided to adopt the 2 year old black laborador from the humane society. It really didn't come down to worrying about his being adopted. It didn't come down to fear for him or his life. It came down to the fact that he simply fit our family without much training. He already knew the language and already had the training. Now we have had to remind him he is expected to do what he has learned, but there is little to teach him - except that he is loved.
He never responded to Samson - the name the Human Society gave him. So we've renamed him Shadow, since he follows one around everywhere. He just has to be in the middle of everything.
Now he's not perfect. He tried to steal a pork chop directly off my plate last Sunday, but what is good about him is over the top excellent. What has thrilled us immensely is that he loves children and has obviously been raised around them. Our neighbor has a 2 year old son. Shadow ignores all the neighbor's dogs, but will stop everything to see the boy. They run up and down the fence together. The boy one day reached his hand through the fence and had his hand all over Shadow's mouth before anyone could do anything. Shadow just stayed still. Then there was the 2 year old girl we met on one of our nightly walks. Talking with the grandparents, the girl and Shadow got bored. He laid down in the road and she proceeded to place Mardi Gras beads around his neck. Then there are the kids at PetSmart and Brusters that want to come see him.
A word to the wise - and to those who have a weakness for ice cream - Bruster's gives out Doggie Sundaes - It's a scoop of vanilla with a milkbone!
One last bit - We tried with a choker collar and he's too tough for that. Neither of us was enjoying th constant hacking. At PetSmart, we bought the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness and saw an immediate difference! Now we enjoy strolling down the Avenue - and I'd better get off here and start that!
9 comments:
I'm glad for both you and Shadow that he will remain a part of your family! He seems like an easy dog to love.
Ah foster flunkies! Welcome to that exclusive club and you got yourself a very fine companion indeed! What's a pork chop among friends I ask? What grand times you ALL have a head of you. You can't see it but I am really grinning ear to ear.
I am not going to mention Brusters, as we don't have one around here, but I have been known to buy Frosty Paws!
Congratulations on your new dog, he looks great! The kids an I are currently working to convince my husband to adopt a kitten from the Animal Welfare Society.
Your post brought a tear to my eye--no, more than one, Jennifer! I'm so happy for you and Mark and Shadow... sometimes stories DO have happy endings!
Tommye
hi Shadow, i knew you'd win them over real fast. What a beautiful boy, thanks for posting up pics of your new owners. K.
ha, knew you would end up with Shadow the minute I read the post about knowing that Samson was not his name. Congratulations. Looks like all are happy with the new family arrangement
Oh that is such great news!! Definitely a bright spot in my morning!!!
Shadow is lucky to have you - and you, him!!!
He's really a beautiful dog! I love the shape and regal look of a lab's head!! The picture near your front door is especially great!
That is great that he's so good with young kids. He must have lived with children to be that automatically gentle and good with them. There's a lot to be said for adopting a well trained adult dog from a shelter! (When we adopted our first Brittany we were stunned to discover that the command "Go Lie Down" worked for her.)
Wishing you all many happy years together!!
Plus he gets dog ice cream - lucky dog!!!!
Congrats,
Sue
Foster flunkies we are! He is very easy to love and is extremely loving. The howling is gone now, so I think he's figured out who's he is. Went to the vet last night for his first exam and he's not 80 pounds! We're looking forward to the days ahead and we learn something new about each other every day! Thanks for the encouragement!
Labs are the best!
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