OMG HSFC!!! Today I went to Enfield, CT to pick up my adopted dog Ty. Adopting Ty was sort of a impulsive 3 year decision. After moving to Porter Square I had always said my next apartment would have to allow dogs. When Bryan Clark needed a third roommate and asked me to move in I jumped at the chance. Part of the reason for that was his dog Moose who was and still remains to be awesome. When Bryan went to Mozilla Messaging in Vancouver, Moose went with him. With no dog to greet me when I came home from work it started getting pretty lonely at the apartment so I started looking for the perfect dog to fill that void.
While on vacation in Aruba I spotted Ty at Pet Finder and instantly fell in love. After getting back I called up Adopt a Lab and found out that Ty was still available and that they were coming to New England that Saturday. The catch was I had to agree to adopt Ty, sight unseen, for them to go through the process of getting him checked for transport and bring him from the midwest to the east. The way it worked they explained, is that I had to commit to at least two weeks with the dog and if it did not work out they would arrange foster care and refund my money. After a day of deliberating I called them up again and started the process rolling. That is when the adventure began.
My friend and resident dog expert Sara agreed to venture two hours out of Boston with me to the agreed upon meeting place where 22 other adopters were gathering to pick up their chosen dog at 11am. All was well when we pulled into the parking lot of Enfield’s Town Hall fifteen minutes before the pick up. Whole families had come to get the first glimpse of their future pets. This is when one of the volunteers notified us that the air conditioner on the transport vehicle had broken down and that they were delayed until 1 o’clock because they had to replace it. This was no big deal as Sara and I were hungry and it would have been hard to get lunch once we had a nervous dog on our hands.
Coming back at 1 brought new troubles as the skies opened up and proceeded to deluge us. On top of that, the transport only made it around 3 o’clock.
I didn’t mind the rain or the delay. I was just anxious to finally meet Ty.
When Ty finaly came out of the truck, he was a bit excited. I could hear oohs and ahhs from my fellow adopters which was the chant recited whenever a particularly cute dog came out. I walked him around a bit on his lead away from the crowds to calm him down.
A quick drink and bathroom break later, we were finally on the road to Ty’s new home.
To calm Ty down even more Sara gave him the plush mole toy she had bought him as a gift. The funny thing about that mole is that Ty seems completely indifferent to the Kong with a snack in it and the tennis ball I had gotten him. He loved that mole though.
It was pouring outside which made our way home slow going.
Ty didn’t mind though as he darted his head from window to window taking in all of the new sights he was experiencing.
After dropping off Sara in JP we made our way back to Cambridge and Ty’s new home where he drank a couple of bowls full of water. When the rain died down I took him for a run and he finally settled down enough to eat. Even after the run he was still a bundle of energy and even though he kept nodding off he would quickly wake up and nudge me to play some more. Finally around 8 he fell asleep for an hour and a half. Right now he is calmly watching me write this blog and perking up every time I look his way.
Oh ya, J5 and Ty – I think I’m going to keep him!!!
[read this post in: ar de es fr it ja ko pt ru zh-CN ]
Get that poor dog’s teeth cleaned soon; they look like they’re in pretty bad shape.
Comment by Jason D. Clinton — August 2, 2008 @ 11:32 pm
Congrats on the new pal. Love having a dog around and picked up a lab puppy back in April. They’re little bundles of pure energy, but so much fun.
Comment by Rick Harding — August 2, 2008 @ 11:50 pm
@Jason
As my dog expert friend said – “it looks like Ty has some plaque build-up, nothing to worry about but you can get them cleaned”.
I guess that is why they call them rescue dogs – their former owners weren’t able to take care of them so they aren’t going to be in perfect health.
@Rick
Thanks for the uplifting comment.
Comment by J5 — August 2, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
This is a really great thing you have done, to adopt or rescue a dog. Congrats on your new friend!!
Comment by lostson — August 2, 2008 @ 11:58 pm
did u notice the orbs in the pic, the real bright ones are rain drops or particles , the others are orbs,,,, looks like he has after ¨etheric buddies¨
he looks a fine animal
Comment by Ken — August 3, 2008 @ 2:07 am
Very sweet looking dog, I hope you have a good time together
Comment by Chris Lord — August 3, 2008 @ 6:27 am
Cute dog! Looks and sounds a lot like our mental lab Henry. I’m sure he’ll settle down to the new routine soon and stop waking every time you move — Henry manages about 18 hours of sleep a day.
Comment by Ross Burton — August 3, 2008 @ 6:49 am
Awesome, congrats!.
As a former dog owner, my best advice is to /be patient/ BUT /be firm/. That will make it easier for you and the dog, he’s looking at you for clear instructions and actions, if you doubt you will confuse him.
There are lots and lots of reading material in the interwebs. Ethology might be a good topic if you are into psychology.
Good luck!
Comment by Diego Escalante Urrelo — August 3, 2008 @ 8:23 am
That, my friend, is a cute dog. But you know that already. Have fun together!
Comment by Andy Wingo — August 3, 2008 @ 9:26 am
Petfinder is teh awesum. We got both our doggies from Petfinder. Cute Bear! Cute Maisie!
Comment by Greg DeK — August 3, 2008 @ 9:51 am
SO CUTE!!!
I can’t wait to meet him
Comment by Máirín — August 4, 2008 @ 12:50 am
Congrats for you two; seems like a great match! Those pictures are ridiculously adorable.
I’ll echo what another poster said: dogs are most comfortable when their leader has a firm, consistent attitude. They thrive on routine. At the same time, one of the most exciting things you can do for them is to take them to a new place with new people and just walk around. If you’re lucky, and you live in a dog-friendly neighborhood, you’ll be allowed to take Ty on errands with you, which is fun for him, good for your bond, and nice practice for his good behavior.
Whether or not he seems to need more discipline, I’d highly recommend a simple training class. With my dogs, I’ve always liked the puppy/beginner classes at Petsmart, which are only about $100 for 8 weeks. Obviously training is good, but working together like that does wonderful things for your relationship. With a new dog, the sooner you get into something like that, the better.
Of course, my dogs started out “difficult”, and Ty looks like an angel, but I thought I’d share the experience anyway, as I was in a total panic when I got my first dog!
Comment by Sandy — August 4, 2008 @ 9:38 am
@Sandy
Oh believe me, I’m in total panic mode. Reading up on everything I can and then realizing none of it quite fits perfect
I handle panic well so I’m not reflecting that on Ty (hopefully) but given that he is a rescue dog he does have some quirks like he doesn’t like to play with anything except his mole and even that he get bored quickly. I however can not make a move without him following me, but make the mistake of seeing if he would let me close the gate without having him on a leash and he bolts. He is such a mix of well behaved and totally untrained that sometimes I don’t know where to begin. He is friendly and will for the most part ignore other dogs and people when we are walking but if I let him he will sniff the other dog but get spooked really easy.
Luckly there is a petsmart within walking distance and I had picked up their schedule. Next Tuesday they have a beginner class starting at 6pm that I am going to start him on. Thanks for the advice.
Comment by J5 — August 4, 2008 @ 10:13 am
What organized this dog adoption thing? I am from Suffield CT, which is just across the river from Enfield, it’s rare to see any of those towns ever mentioned anywhere.
Comment by Dave Foster — August 4, 2008 @ 10:39 am
Congratulations! Dogs are awesome and they are the absolute best company. Sounds like you and Ty are already having a great time!
Comment by Stormy — August 4, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
@Dave
It is adoptalab.org – they use the Enfield town hall as a pickup because it is central to a lot of the adopters. They come from Indiana I believe.
Comment by J5 — August 4, 2008 @ 1:49 pm