It's been a long time since I've been able to go down to the county pound and rescue a large, adult male dog. We've been adopting out a lot of puppies and small dogs lately, and our large adult dog adoptions have really slowed down. A foster home came available this weekend, and for once, there were no returns pending, and no other foster homes that needed to move a dog out. So I went down to the pound to scout out the dogs that had been placed on the rescue list. Any animal on the list is euthanized after 5:00 if not rescued.
The only adult male on the day's list had a note on his kennel card that stated, "Aggressive to small dogs." That was a deal-breaker: the foster has a little Brussels Griffon. But in the kennel next door, I spotted another male dog with the big "R" for rescue marked on his card. He wasn't on the day's rescue list because he was from the previous day's list. Technically, he should have been euthanized last night. Why was he spared? Maybe in part because the kennels were not very full, so space was not an issue; and maybe in part because he was just so nice. He had the typical depressed demeanor of a dog with a slight case of kennel cough that has been languishing at the pound unclaimed for two weeks, but when greeted, he wagged and kissed. A note on his card read, "Placed in kennel with small dachs x and large pit, OK, no aggression." Perfect!
He seemed bewildered and surprised when I opened his kennel door and led him down the aisles to the office area to complete his paper work. When I sat down to wait for my copy, he came alive with excitement, wiggling and kissing everyone within reach. It was as if he realized this was really it, he was finally leaving the bad place! As we walked out the door, I asked the prancing pup beside me, "What's your name, doggie?" and it hit me immediately: Dougie. Today was Dougie's lucky day, and he knew it!
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