Well, I went and did it. Retirement has given me a wealth of spare time and playing with my Brother in laws dog in Montana pushed me over the edge of inaction. I fired up Petfinder and started looking for a new dog. My breed of choice is Australian Shepherd and I was surprised to find a number of them available for adoption in my area. Not too surprised as they can be a difficult breed to live with if not ready for a high energy, intelligent dog. They are the cutest puppies, but they require a job and constant attention or they can become destructive.
I filled out an adoption application on a Saturday and heard back from the ARMA ( https://aussierescueofthemidatlantic.org/ ) on Sunday . There was a home visit scheduled right away and was presented with several available dogs. I decided to follow up on a one year old dog being given up by her owner due to a death in the family. I spoke with the person from rescue that did a home visit, and then the owner. We agreed to a meet and greet.
The meet and greet went really well and we agreed that Ruby Roo would be a good fit for me.. I picked her up on August 3rd. Two weeks after the start of my search.
It has been a whirlwind of adjustment to a new member of the household. Ruby is a cute little bundle of energy and love. She has gotten into a couple of things, which is to be expected of a one year old. She has been pushing the boundaries to find out what she can get away with.
Not having a dog this young in the house for 27 years has been an adventure for me too. I have dusted off my training techniques and have been teaching Ruby and getting her ready for learning new stuff.
As I told Ruby’s former owner this was going to change my life forever, again. I can’t wait.
