Last week while we were on our regular dog walk, this scrawny but determined puppy came out of nowhere and demanded to be brought into our pack. He would not be chased off even though it was obvious he was terrified. Cocoa, the least well-behaved of the group, was freaking out completely, so I backtracked the other way with him. Fred and George were startled, and a bit concerned but didn’t seem to feel overly threatened by this interloper. They allowed him to follow them the rest of the way around the block.
Once Cocoa was removed to the house, the little guy bounded over and looked at me with such intelligence that I knew it was a hopeless case. My son texted my sister-in-law and asked if we could temporarily house him in her empty house across the street. She said yes, and that was that.
He was in bad shape. We could count his ribs, but once he understood he could stay, he could not stop smiling.
We set up a doggy daycare situation complete with a snoodle towel, Cocoa’s castoff toys, and a box for extra hominess. He stays outside during the day but on the back porch during the rain and at night.
He sits when you tell him to. He comes when called. He is SO excited to see anyone every time. He loves his toys and dog food. He is agreeable to putting on the harness for a walk, although he’s very nervous about the actual walk and will walk so close to your heel that he gets bumped with your foot.
Slowly, we are trying to acclimate the other dogs to Bruce Goodboy’s presence (GB). He’s been christened Bruce because he’s the color of Batman’s suit, AKA Bruce Wayne. And Goodboy, well, because he’s such a good boy. Although, with the size of his head and paws, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be Big Boy before the month is out.
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Read more about our animal adventures in the Animal Antics South of the Border Series.
Surviving Mexico 