That's my new baby. His name is Phooka. I adopted him from the shelter here in town. I did end up going all the way to Iowa City but the pup I wanted to look at, Nehi, was adopted just before we showed up. I was really bummed out. Then the people wouldn't even let me take out another dog, Bullwinkle, to look at, because he was part pit bull and they refused to let me adopt him unless I had a fenced in yard. So, I was double bummed. I wasn't too pleased with the place. You couldn't actually see the dogs unless you asked the staff, they were kept in rooms and you could only look through windows at them. You also weren't allowed any one-on-one time, you constantly had a staff member hovering over your shoulder. It was irritating. Plus, we stopped in the cat room for a quick look. The state of it was pretty bad. I mean, it was clean and all, its just that it was clear that about 80% of the cats had some sort of cold. Cats are really prone to respiratory infections because of their facial structure, and most of the cats had it. I was saddened. The cats were allowed to roam freely throughout the room, spreading the infection from cat to cat. It wasn't cool.
Anywho, I drove clear back (it was a three hour drive there and a three hour drive back) really bummed out and didn't think I would be getting a dog any time soon. I had my boyfriend stop by the Ames animal shelter and we wandered through. I volunteer there also, and I must say, its run considerably better. There aren't any sick animals allowed to interact with the healty ones. Any that show and signs of even a mild cold are quaratined until they are better....
Anyway, wandered through the dog kennels. There is a great dane there, named Charlee. If I had the time to care for him (he's still a really energetic pup) and train him well then I would be more than happy to get him. He's really very smart, his last owners gave him up because they didn't have the time or patience to deal with a puppy. But, I don't think he would do well as an apartment dog.
During my volunteer training, Nov. 1, the woman was babying a dog that had just arrived named Oreo. He was really shy and scared. Well, I didn't expect him to still be there on Friday, the smaller and more timid dogs seem to go quickly. But, there he was, came right up to the door of the cage as if he recognized me. So, my boyfriend and I took him out into the back area and let him run around. He was really excited and playful. I fell in love.
Filled out the adoption application right away. I picked him up yesterday. He turned out to be a lot more energetic than he seemed at the shelter, but that's okay. And he's still having issues with my cat, or rather, my cat is still having issues with him. Hehe. And he gets a little jealous when I pay my kitty any attention, but its getting better.
I did rename him, Phooka. Named after a Celtic spirit. Phooka day just happened to be Nov. 1st, the first day I saw the pup, so I thought it fit perfectly.