Adoption on a Whim

We did something a little wild and crazy!  We made a decision on a whim that probably should have required a little more thought but we did it nonetheless.  We adopted a dog on our way home from our camping trip!

As you know if you read last week’s blog, we went camping last weekend.  While we were there another family of campers had 2 Blue Heeler puppies for sale.  We strongly considered taking one home to be our homestead watchdog to ward off predators and keep the goats and chickens safe.  My only drawback was how much training would need to occur before we had the dog of our dreams.  I convinced my family to pass up these 2 cute puppies and find one closer to home.  (I also did not want to haul a stinky hyper dog 3.5 hours home in a fully packed mini-van.)

So we headed home and I looked on my phone for dogs that were close to home and came upon an advertisement that our animal shelter was having half-price adoptions at our nearest pet store.  We stopped by before ever getting home to unload and freshen up (we were smelly from the river).  We walked to the back of the store and found 4 dogs, however, I could not look past the first one I saw.  She was precious.  She was as sweet as ever and the lady that was fostering her started telling us all about how good of a dog she was.  She got the dog out of the crate so we could pet her and the rest was history.  We filled out the paperwork and paid half the normal price before walking out the door with her. 

We decided to name her Pepper.  She is a 10-month-old Border Collie-Jack Russel terrier mix…about 17 pounds, black with a white belly and legs that are speckled with black.  Pepper was already house and crate trained which made her an excellent “base model” dog.  That being said, she peed twice in the house but only because she apparently won’t potty while wearing a leash and harness.  We learned the hard way.  It was a tough decision to let her off her leash in the back yard, though.  She is really interested in the chickens and goats.  She loves to pounce at the chickens which sends them all fluttering and squawking and she is super excited about seeing the goats.  I’m sure she would love to chase them since she is a “herding” dog.  

We take her on family walks in the evening and my husband and I take turns running with her in the morning.  This has to be her best surprise quality.  I love that she does so well on a leash and has the energy to run 3 miles with me.  I’m usually not one to run with a buddy but I will make an exception here.  She is the perfect running buddy!  She also loves to go places with us.  Anytime we can take her with us to run an errand or even just go to the park to play, we take her.

The kids love Pepper unless she is running full speed and jumping up at them.  I tried to explain to the kids that in her little doggie mind, she is playing a game of tag.  If you turn your back on her (for fear that she will tackle you) then she will jump up and tag you.  If you face her and lunge at her to tag her first she stops short and runs away.  This is not a game I will continue playing with her, however, because it really does scare the kids and nobody wants a dog jumping up on them.  Then all that playtime energy gets spent and she happily curls up in her bed to rest up for the next time. 

We sure do lover her!  She is the perfect fit for our family.  If you're thinking about getting a dog, check the animal shelter...they have so many dogs that need a home.  You might just find the perfect one!

My Take-Aways:

1. Bringing home a dog to be a part of your family is a big deal.  We had 2 dogs up until last year…a boxer and a yellow lab.  They lived to be about 16 years old.  We didn’t rush into getting another although we did act pretty quickly once we finally decided to look.  It’s a big commitment.  Training, feeding, caring for it when you are on vacation…there’s a lot to think about.
2. Life on the homestead wouldn’t be the same without a dog.  It just seems right to have a dog to keep you company while doing morning chores and working in the yard.  
3. Kids learn about responsibility when caring for animals.  The fact that this one is inside our home, unlike the chickens and goats, creates more opportunity for learning.