Oops I Did it Again

 Internet, meet Adele:

Yes, I realize I used a Brittney Spears song to announce a dog named Adele and yes, I'm pretty sure I used the same song for a previous blog title. Deal with it.

Last week, I took a little time off to revel in the launching of my first book in many years (more about that here), so of course instead of doing a whole bunch of book promotion stuff, I went out and got a dog. Who wouldn't?

Nick! wouldn't.

In all seriousness, we never intended to have just one dog, so I've been on the hunt for the perfect shelter baby to bring home. And while there are literally hundreds that I would love to rescue, Nick! had a few things to say about that. First of all, he is not the smallest dog, but at somewhere between 12 and 14 lbs (we've been feeding him well), and mostly chihuahua, he sees larger dogs as a threat. Or at least, that's the impression we get from all the barking and turf kicking he does when we encounter the big guys on our walks. But we noticed when he sees smaller dogs, he wags his tail and doesn't really bark at all.

But finding a small dog at the shelter is not the easiest. Well, sadly, yes, plenty of small dogs end up in shelters, but they are usually the first to leave. In fact, when we got Nick!, we were actually there to see about another terrier mix who had just been adopted.  There were many candidates, but the times when they would be available for adoption didn't work with our schedules, so by the time I was ready to go, they would have already found their forever home.

And in fact, Adele was one of them, or so I thought. I'd seen her on Petfinder, but she was quickly adopted out while I was at work. Three days later, just as I was lamenting that none of the upcoming small dogs would become available until near the end of my vacation, Adele was returned because it just wasn't working out. So I grabbed Nick! and arranged a meet and greet, hoping this little skin and bones baby deer looking thing wouldn't be too frail for our 5 walk a day, toy chewing terror.

I mean, look at her. The piece of grass on her nose is practically as big as she is.

But to my absolute surprise, they got along great! Admittedly, Nick! gave me one heck of a wounded look when he realized his new friend was getting into his car and going to his house, but that didn't last long. Mostly, the two of them spend their time synchronizing their nap schedule.

Like so.

It's not without struggle. Adele is a bit older and a lot more feral than Nick!. She doesn't really know commands yet and has had a few house training accidents, which means she doesn't get to roam the house when we're not here. But now that I got her an appropriately sized crate (the previous was meant for a larger 50-100lb dog), she seems okay with just chilling out. But it's all worth it. Not just because she sticks to my side like glue (Nick! for all his adorableness, is no lap dog), but because a dog like her deserves a good life.

So once again, I implore everyone to adopt, don't shop, and don't pass over that older pup. There are tons of advantages to not getting a puppy. like not having everything chewed on, and not having to constantly provide stimulation. And trust me, you will find you need them as much as they need you.