my new dog

several months ago, realized that my life would be better if i had a dog. not only was petlessness awful, but i felt that a dog would help me stop over-sleeping and get out of the house more. i talked to my psychiatrist (no i am not ashamed that i have a psychiatrist) about it, and she wrote me a letter recommending an emotional support dog.

two months ago, david finally agreed to let me get a dog. i showed the letter to the landlord and got approval. now, i just needed to find a dog.

i couldn't use whiley or bubble, because neither of them were well behaved enough to live in this otherwise no-pet housing. also i wouldn't split them up, and i couldn't take them away from my mom anyway. i went to craigslist, and after meeting and being rejected for a dog, decided to adopt one from a rescue group or shelter. i'd noticed shelter ads mentioning free adoptions through maddie's fund. it was through this fund that i'd adopted a cat a year earlier.

on june 1st, i went to the adoptathon in san francisco. i had already spent hours researching online the rescue groups and dogs that would be there. i had made a list of some dogs. my first two dogs of interest were already claimed. my second dog of interest was large and a puller and much too strong for me to control. my fourth dog of interest, who i was going to adopt, turned out to not qualify for the fund and thus cost 350(!) dollars. as the event was ending and the dogs were thinning, i was determined to find a dog for me. i noticed a cute random dog and asked her handler, "who is this?" it was a little red and tan chihuahua named belinda. she belonged the sanfrancisco animal care and control. the guy took me inside a room to meet her. as soon as she was put onto the floor she started whining a very high pitched and obnoxious whine. i tried to get her attention, but she just kept whining. i couldn't even standing being in the room with the noise, so i went to look at other dogs in the shelter.

i hadn't originally wanted to adopt a dog from the shelter. the personalities of dogs in shelters are not well known, as opposed to the dogs in foster homes. however, the rescue groups were leaving, but the shelter of course was still there. i knew this was my final chance. i looked around the kennels, many of which were empty due to dogs being adopted or wandering around the event or being met by other people. all of the dogs that i saw were small, most of them chihuahua mixes, and none of them entirely desirable for my needs. there was one that i was interested in meeting, but i decided to check the floor with the puppies first, in case there was an older one that might fit my needs.

i was taken to a room that i could not enter, due to having very young puppies in it. i looked at the descriptions of the dogs on the wall. i chose to meet one called rosie simply because, at two years, she was the oldest dog in there.

i went to a meeting a room, and a shelter staff person brought her in. she was a small tan colored italian greyhound/chihuahua mix, lean with long legs and a pointy pace and floppy triangle ears. she was shy, and at first wouldn't come to me. i picked a small orange ball from the floor and tossed it. she chased after it, but didn't bring it back to me. i picked it up again, and tapped it on the floor. she came over to me. after a few tries she was coming to the tapping and finally retrieved the ball and brought it back to me. with her near me, i petted her. she shook with anxiety but also seemed to like it. i threw the ball again, and this time she brought it back to me and crawled into my lap. it was so sweet. she lacked the confidence that i would have preferred in a dog, but was willing to give me a chance. i decided to give her a chance.

 

david and i had trouble agreeing on a name. it turns out that we have completely different tastes in names. after a few days, we finally decided on cally.

it's been almost two months now. cally has gotten me to get out of the house more to take her on walks. i am over-sleeping less. she helps me wake up sometimes by whining to tell me she has to go outside. 

i am feeding her a grain free food called "taste of the wild." for treats i use dehydrated raw venison and duck jerky. i try to walk her most days, and i work on obedience training frequently. she has learned sit, down, stay, come, look, under, up, off and stop. i take her outside about four times a day, and clean up her poop right way instead of leaving it sitting in the yard. i bathe her, brush her teeth and clean her ears regularly. i have gotten her a crate, a water bowl, a food dispensing ball, a bed, many toys, real bones, a vest, a short leash, a 20 foot leash, shampoo, coat deodorizing spray, ear cleaner, toothpaste, toothbrush, a mouth spray (kind of like doggy mouthwash), and a pretty pink collar.

she eats half a cup of food a day and maintains a 7.2 pound body weight. a five pound bag of food has lasted her a month. she gets ten pieces of the venison food a day as a supplement and treat. i cut each piece into four smaller pieces and use them for training throughout the day. if i run out of those, i use small pieces of duck jerky. she loves the venison more than anything.

at night she sleeps in a blocked off area right beside my side of the bed, with her blanket and cow hoof chew. she's not allowed on the bed, but loves snuggling on the couch. she likes her crate ok, and goes in there on her own to lay down. her current favorite toy is a kong "snugga wubba" and her current favorite bone is a deer shank.

i really want to be more of a responsible dog owner than i have been. i want to take care of her properly and keep her healthy. i want to do something right.