When my daughter's (Ariel) aged shelter-rescue passed their family of four was awash in grief. They had experienced the benefits of having "the perfect family dog" and chose to bide their time looking for a new one.
For months they scanned
www.PetFinder.com and local rescue shelters. Then they "spotted", Nacho, a Dalmatian Mexican mutt-rescue who had been moved from a Southern California shelter to an Oregon foster home and delivered to theirs with the words, "He's a runner. He does not know where his home is. Keep him tied to you for three
weeks!"
Not exactly the words a mother already tied to a 1 and 4 year old human wanted to hear. Did Nacho even speak English? He did not tell them. Did he like cats? They were about to find out.
The day Buddy was lead by leash into his new home with my daughter's family, I watched him spot one of her four friendly cats and lunge at it like an open mouthed crocodile snapping it closed like the Nestle chocolate milk commercial's dog trying to
bite its head off.
It was a scary scenario, but luckily he was tied by his leash to his new mother. The four cats kept a safe distance after that.
The dog did not respond to the name Nacho, so as I sat on the couch with the dog tethered to me while Ariel purr-pared dinner, I began saying different names like Spotty, Bingo, Bailey, Buddy and when I said Buddy the dog looked interested. At dinner I brought up the name and the family voted yes
based on, "He is going to be our best Buddy."
Having a dog tied to you is not a picnic. At night, the cats were kicked out of the bedroom because Buddy took the place of honor between his new mama and papa. Trying to cook with two hungry kids at your feet and a dog tied to you took some planning. But it paid off in spades!
A few weeks later my grandson announced "Buddy is my best friend." Then, almost every photograph that Ariel now texts, is the dog
cuddled up in bed, on the couch and on the floor with her children. Everyone looks happy and relaxed.
And what about the cats? Before the first month was over Ariel sent a photo of Buddy peacefully sleeping with two cats on HIS bed! It appears he is everyone's best buddy because the next day a photo arrived of him sleeping on the couch with two more cats. He now knows who is his family, he is happy, and he does not run unless it is after a
ball.
Reasons why they chose an older dog? A senior pet's paw-sonality is "fixed", and this dog came house and leash trained, and he is good with and doesn't jump on young children.
Ariel's family is in love with the rescue who traveled hundreds of miles on his life journey, to find them.
