B.B. traveled a long way to get to his forever home. Over 1800 miles, in fact. Transported from the Humane Society of South
Mississippi, B.B. was a three-time shelter loser who might have been forgotten
if the San Diego Humane Society had not believed in his adoptability. They rescued
him twice—once from a shelter in the Deep South and a second time when his
adopted family returned him. Then they
convinced me that this was the dog for our home. Despite my misgivings, I believed them. On December 11, 2008, at 2:54 PM, I paid his
adoption fee and he hopped willingly into my car and stole our hearts.
My beloved Great Dane, Honey, had passed away at ten years
old the previous February. I had been
looking for another Dane; however, both of the Great Dane rescues in Southern
California turned me down because I was not a home owner. Breed-specific rescues often have this
requirement. I searched in vain for a Great
Dane in all of the shelters and all-breed rescues from San Diego to Los Angeles
but could not find one. Our home felt so
empty without a dog. A Dane had been so
perfect for our lifestyle; intelligent, obedient, and affectionate, Danes are
happy to sit on the couch with you and watch TV. They are great companions for someone who
works at home and likes leisurely walks.
Labradors are quite different from Great Danes. They are extremely intelligent and high
energy. They need at least sixty minutes
of exercise per day, preferably running. Labs are exuberant, pushy, and playful. They are wonderful companions for active
individuals, and are quick learners with a working dog’s mentality. They are the perpetual puppies of the dog
world, and if not given enough exercise, attention, and training, Labs can
develop a number of annoying, even destructive behaviors. In the right hands, they are probably one of
the most wonderful dog breeds available.
They love an active owner who has lots of time and patience for outdoor
activities. Consequently, I passed by B.B. at the Humane Society without a
second glance.
According to the description on his suite, B.B. was an 85
pound Labrador/Shepherd mix. He was listed as high energy with a play style tending
towards “rough and tumble.” he actually looked a lot like a Pit Bull mix to me,
and I was under express instructions (from landlord and roommate) not to adopt a
bully breed (I love Pitties, by the way but society’s prejudices prevail). Instead, I was looking at a much smaller
female Labrador mix in the same hallway.
I asked to visit her and she rolled over on her back and let me rub her
belly. She seemed calm, submissive, and
gentle. In other words, very Dane-like but
lab size.
The adoptions counselor sat with us and asked questions
about what kind of care we can provide, the size of our yard and fence and our
lifestyle. He was very thorough. He took the female Labrador to the cat room
to see how she responded to the cats since we had a nineteen year old cat at
the time. After talking with me for a
while, he said that he thought another dog would fit better in our home. I was open to suggestions, so we went to
visit B.B. in the suite down the hall. The San Diego Humane Society has a beautiful,
luxurious campus with large, home-like suites for the dogs and cats. B.B. had
his own couch, and he was sitting on it like a king surveying his territory.
B.B. was the opposite of calm, submissive, and gentle. While the adoptions counselor and I sat on
the couch, B.B. jumped back and forth between us, bonking us on the head with
one of his squeaky toys. We went over
his history and the questionnaire provided by the previous owner. B.B. had been
transported from the South Mississippi Humane Society in April, 2007 when he
was only a few months old. He may have been born in the shelter or relinquished
as part of an unwanted litter. A San Diego family adopted him in the summer of
2007 and returned him in late 2008. They
have listed numerous reasons for the relinquishment one of which was his rough
play style. He had some basic training
and behaved well in the cat room.
The adoptions counselor felt that the other dog would not be
a good fit for our home because she had never lived in a house before. She had been an outside dog. B.B. was house trained and, according to the
previous owner, had slept in a child’s bedroom. The fact that we have a spacious fenced yard, and that I was willing to
take a large dog may have prompted the adoptions counselor’s confidence that B.B.
was the best choice. I had a hard time
believing this though, while this huge lab was jumping on my back and smacking
his squeaky octopus on the top of my head. We took him out in the parking lot for a walk
and he nearly pulled me off my feet. “See,” said the counselor, “he walks great
on a leash.”
In the end, I decided that B.B. needed me more than I needed
a dog that suited my expectations and lifestyle to a T. And he has many, many good qualities. He is completely housebroken, and has never
destroyed anything here. B.B.
usually has human company, but he does not get anxious when left alone. He always comes when called even in off-leash
areas. He learns commands quickly and
responds very well to positive reinforcement.
Although he is still not a great walker (and we have outlawed squeaky
toys), he is a wonderful companion and coexists well with other animals. Over the past five years, B.B. has welcomed
numerous fosters and boarders of all sizes, a new cat, and a Macaw.
Sometimes I share B.B.’s misadventures for comic relief but
he really is a good dog, and we are glad that he found us.
B.B. loves to have one or two boarders to keep him company. Check out our website for services and rates, or contact us with questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment