We got a DOG!

Baileys
c.2014

“RUN, RUN!” I yelled as I was attempting to run our brand new puppy on her leash.

Run, she did...Except she runs a LOT faster than me.

“STOP! HEEL! Oh my gosh, slow down!”

We are both undergoing training.

We got a dog! I still can hardly believe it! She’s the most beautiful and smart dog ever! My boyfriend and I rescued her from the pound on Sunday. I was really nervous about doing it because I wasn’t sure I was up to the responsibility. Here was this living thing that was suddenly totally dependent on us. Oh, the pressure!

Would we truly be able to provide for this dog? What if I did more harm than good? I say “I” because my boyfriend is perfect with her. Would I tire of my responsibilities? All of these worries went out the window when we brought her home. We loved her instantly. She just fit.

[When she made a nervous run around the PetSmart parking lot, narrowly missing several cars I have to admit, the maybe I’m not up for this feeling returned, but we caught her].

The puzzling thing is that we are her 5^th owners. She was adopted and brought back 4 times. We absolutely cannot comprehend this, because she is an amazing and beautiful dog. We thought we might see some issues later on, but we haven’t.

She fits in wonderfully and we love her so much! Her tail, which is the window to her soul, was unsure and depressed when we got her, now forms a nice happy curly-cue. She needs some more training, but she’s learning really quickly. We do at least two walks a day, which is good for us, as well. There’s a big cemetery in walking distance from us, which is perfect for walks and she loves to stalk the squirrels and cats in our complex.

We call her Baileys, with an “S” because her coloring reminds us of Bailey’s Irish Crème. [We forgot that our neighbor has a dog named Bailey. But we’re convinced it’s a totally different name].

When we left for the evenings, she would get mad and leave little “spite poops” around the house. [hey, who doesn’t?] But I think we finally have that under control.

Everyone loves her and she loves everyone. She’s one of her vet’s favorites, who told us we could bring her any time, even if just to say “hi.”

Baileys wants to say hello to everyone. She loves to jump on people. [Okay, we’re working on that. Not everyone likes that].

Every time she wags her tail or leans full force against me, I know we did the right thing. She’s very considerate; she tries to spend time with both of us. When one of us is upstairs and one downstairs, she lies down at the foot of the stairs: a good middle place, if you ask her.

Training is an ongoing process that requires tenacity and consistence. [Which may have been the reason her other owners brought her back]. But I think we’re up for it. We’ve got good support systems. PetSmart is our one-stop shop for any calamity which may befall us.

Funny sidenote: Just as I was writing about how good she is, she pooped upstairs.

c. 2014