posted 01-05-2004 01:02 PM         

Description says he likes cats. Then again, Nala likes cats, they just don't like her so she has to chase them to try to make them like her. (It doesn't really work out.)

I tried to call the previous owners, who gave him up because they couldn't housetrain him. The papers indicated they had tried crate training (along with paper training and "housetraining" which I assume to mean uncrated?). But the petfinder ad calls them "young owners" and the phone number says "PCS number temporarily out of service" even though they only dropped him off a week ago. To me, this says failure to pay a bill, so perhaps low income or irresponsible.

He is a sweetie, though! He knows sit very well and would perform it instantly even though he didn't know who the heck I am. His papers say he knows "Come" but I bet it is conditional on what he is doing. He didn't bark a single time in all the time I was with him - not at the other dogs I walked him by, and not when he was back in his pen and I walked by him. He had kisses for everyone, and the family who looked at him before me had small kids and he was gentle with them.

His feet are way bigger than Nala's. They say he is probably mostly done growing. The weight they have listed is about the same as Nala, but he may be taller. Hard to tell since he is fluffier than she is.

I suppose he would shed a ton.

His left ear - the one on the brown side of his face - is white with speckles. Oh dear.

I also looked at another dog which is supposedly a Golden/Aussie mix. She was from another shelter and I think she was transported here fairly recently. Her picture is not online yet. She was gorgeous and totally ignored the cat they brought out, but she was also terrified and wouldn't stand up and was shivering. She is about a year old and bigger than the other dog. How do you assess a terrified dog?

posted 01-05-2004 02:10 PM         

Oh he's gorgeous and I just love his name....ROllings....

I couldn't resist, thats why I'm forbidded to go to the shelters alone with a check book or cash over 10 bucks....

posted 01-05-2004 02:11 PM         

Also
Can you bring Nayla to the shelter and let them socialize to see if they get along, You said in your other post that Nala had so much fun with the other dogs that maybe it is a good idea

posted 01-05-2004 02:28 PM         

I had almost talked myself out of it before I saw him again, because of the potential housetraining problem. I wish I could talk to the previous owner and see if he ever peed in his crate. I am thinking that it is possible an uniformed person could say Nala is not housetrained, although we think she does very well. She has never gone in her crate and she usually does not go on the carpet anymore, but if we don't notice her wandering near the back door (or if she is on leash and can't go wander by the back door) she still has no reservations about letting loose on the carpet. Even my husband thinks she is doing well, though, and he is the one who gets stressed out about such things.

I am waiting for my husband to comment on Rolling (who is actually named Rawlins, according to the owner release papers). I am so terrified someone else will get him. They won't hold him, not even if I fill out the papers and pay the money. Tonight is packed with pinao lessons, boy scouts, and agility - no time to bring a new dog home. But I could take tomorrow off work...

posted 01-05-2004 03:32 PM         

They re-open for adoptions tomorrow at 11am, so I may take off after a couple hours at work and bring Nala up if my husband thinks he can tolerate another dog.

I still worry about the logistics of two dogs. Fostering would be sensible, so we could try it out and see how it goes. But I absolutely LOVE this guy.

posted 01-05-2004 04:11 PM         

After I saw your post, I went nline and there is this 12 year old that needs a home, so I emailed the person about her. My husband would kill me

posted 01-05-2004 04:27 PM         

I don't have a good answer for "why we want another dog" beyond I fell in love with this guy, he and Nala could play together, and he seems more cuddly than Nala. I love Nala, but I also love to cuddle with my pets and she is not a cuddler.

Not sure what I am going to do. He is grumpy a lot lately. He tolerates my pets but would not have any if it weren't for me. Or maybe one Lab or something. He loves Nala, but he's still grumpy about her and the money she costs.

Grrrr.

posted 01-05-2004 05:10 PM         

Is there a way to know if he had his puppy shots if I can't get in touch with the owners? Maybe get him titered, or just get him his boosters? Wait until he is a year old?

Of course, I still have to break the husband barrier...

I am thinking back to when I first started looking for a dog after Hocus died last summer. I went to this same shelter and there was only one young puppy and it was being adopted as I got there. It was a little brown and white thing, and a very young man was holding him - I think I remember the employees saying something after he left about worrying he wouldn't have the money until he drove up in some fancy little car. I wonder if that was the same dog.