A new member of the family

Over the last couple of weeks, Angie and I had talked about getting a second dog.  The purpose we would want to do so was multi-faceted.  First, 12-lb Eddie (keep that in mind for ...12 lbs) needs a companion.  He is at home alone much of the time.  Every day, while Angie and I are at work, he is by himself.  Any time that we go out (for something to which we can't bring him), he's on his own.

We'd decided on going with a puppy.  Then, almost as if on cue, the Second Chance SPCA came to our office on Friday with a couple of adorable puppies.  One was a German Shepherd, and the other was a mix (we think lab, sharpei, maybe a little bit of pit bull).  We made the decision to visit their site on Saturday, since Angie's parents would be with us.  They are big-time dog people (currently have 3), and are very knowledgable.

I've always wanted a dog of the retriever type...one that would actually play fetch.  Eddie...not so much.  When I throw a ball, he just sorta looks at me as if to say "yeah......what?"  When we take him to the dog park, I so many other dogs, both large and small, fetch with gusto.  Eddie...not at all.  Bummer...

To make a very long story short, the Shepherd was adopted by another family, and the mixed puppies (and her brothers & sisters of that litter), wouldn't be ready for adoption for a week or two, until after they've been spayed or neutered.  So we decided to go to another SCPA.  We looked at a couple of Labrador Retrievers.  One was a female puppy, and the other was a 3+ year old male.

Then we saw this guy: 

The timing was remarkable.  He actually arrived at the SPCA while we were there.  He'd been previously adopted, but had to be returned because his owners were moving.  I took him out into a yard to see how he responded.  Right off the bat, he fetched, obeyed the "sit" command...and won me over.  So now, 12-lb Eddie's companion will be....101-lb Jake.

Jake is approximately 6 years old, which is older than what we'd planned.  But...that means that we won't have to go through all of the puppy issues.  And his readiness to play...<sigh>.

And the dude is STRONG!!!  Man, he can pull like nobody's business.  And run...yeah, dude is incredibly fast.  He'll be a good running buddy for me at some point.  Before that, he's got  to lose some weight.  He's probably about 10 lbs or so overweight, mostly because he hasn't been getting enough exercise.  But that will change; I'll be taking him to the dog park often, and going for long walks, and eventually runs.

The thing with Eddie and Jake is the weirdest thing...even though the size differences are enormous (Jake is approximately 90 lbs heavier than Eddie), they already seem to get along well.  Hopefully, that will remain the same.

So...Angie and I now have two dogs.  One little snuggler, and one huge new playmate.

Comments

[Tim]

Bravo, Jim...older puppies need some love too!

[Stacey]

Awesome! Congrats!