Friday, December 30, 2011

The Christmas Bah-Roo: A Tail of Hope - Part II

December 24th, Christmas Eve: The day before Christmas turns out to be a busy day - we lost most of the day before due to the impromptu acquisition of Snowy the dog from L.A. Love and Leashes. All that we didn't finish yesterday needs to be done today combined with the list that had already been formed just for the day of Christmas Eve. We still have to finish putting out the Christmas decorations (boxes and boxes of stuff), make cookies for Santa, wrap final gifts and clean up. Along with the just the usual meal making, etc. Daughter 1 has a riding lesson at the barn. We need to get dog food for the dog (we only have kibble that is left over from our 90+ lb dog, not suitable for a 20 pounder.) Church plans are scrapped - there is literally not enough time and we don't want to be away from the dog for that long of a period since everything is new and uncertain to her. We want at least one of us around for her during the day - although we do have plans to go out for Chinese food for dinner. I am absolutely not making dinner tonight.

Snowy the dog follows us around all day. Never letting us out of her sight. In the 24 hours since bring her home we learn the following about her:

  • She snores: Last night I had her on one side of me in a little makeshift bed on the floor. My husband was on the other side (in the bed, not on the floor). It felt like Surround Sound of snoring activity. 
  • She doesn't care for the menu: Last night we only had our late dog's oversized kibble which was probably also stale - so I get it. But, we end up purchasing Solid Gold: Just a Wee Bit, which is a high rated dog food (my husband does the research) and she turns her nose up. She does like people food, though. We have a friend that make her dogs fresh food everyday - sure hope Snowy's not used to that, because I don't think that's going to happen over here. I am not sure if she is not eating because of stress, sadness or just because it's a new taste.  My husband says when she gets hungry enough, she'll eat.  
  • She loves walks: Wow. She's like regular dogs who actually get excited at the sight of the leash and runs to the front door, tail wagging. We are stunned. The girls can even clip the leash onto the dog's collar without being growled at, bitten, or otherwise fearing for their life. She looks so cute and gung-ho on the walk - and boy, I can't believe how fast such little legs can walk (makes a real cute clip, clip, clip sound, too!)
  • She doesn't respond to "Snowy": Okay, that's probably not her real name. She doesn't seem to have any name recognition at all. We try Chloe and Zoe. Nope. Well, it was probably a good name for a dog at Christmas time in the adoption center - and the girls like it. So, I guess it will stay.
  • She doesn't bark: We notice she is unusually quiet. At first I worry that maybe she had her vocal cords cut, but then we do a little more research which leads us to believe she is part Basenji; she has the wrinkle between the brow, the big ears, the shape of her face, the short coat and the curly tail. And the no barking - definite clue. We are delighted. White German Shepherd mix - bah!
  • She's affectionate: Snowy apparently loves attention and being petted. She wants to be part of the pack and follows us around everywhere (especially me.) We are cautious and apprehensive at first, but gain more confidence over the day. This dynamic generates a lot of sharing about how traumatized we all felt over the experience with our late dog, Udo.
Taking Snowy on trips in the car is an added, unexpected bonus. She loves the car. She is small enough that she can travel around with us and go places where she is allowed. My husband and the girls take Snowy with them to the pet store to get her proper kibble. They return with the goods plus a brand new red collar to adorn her neck. Daughter 1 thought red would be the perfect color for Snowy. She was right - Snowy looks stylish. Red sets off her white and grey coat perfectly.

Our first separation from Snowy occurs when we leave to go out for Chinese food. Luckily the restaurant is close - we'll only be gone about an hour. But we feel bad leaving her alone. Although she has been following us around all day - she's probably beat and would finally enjoy a nice nap. 

When we return home our predictions of her having Basenji blood are confirmed. As we emerge from our car we hear the strangest sounds emerging from our home - something that sounds like a cross between braying and a yodel - this is the Basenji bah-roo. We burst into laughter. The unexpected sound delights us to the core. 

We excitedly open the door to our bah-rooing animal. She is so happy to see us. We are so happy to see her. Seeing her wagging tail, her welcoming doggy body language, her openness to our affectionate pats and pets - I experience this welling of feeling in my chest. I can't quite tell if I am sad or happy. Maybe the feeling is grief; maybe the feeling is relief; maybe the feeling is joy. Maybe it is all of these.



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