My new brother, Rory Monkey Mutt

I have been very remiss about my blog so I'm going to try to do a better job in the future.  I thought I'd start by telling you all about my new brother, Rory.

Rory is 4-5 months old and he is a lab/hound mix who came home with us 4 weeks ago from my alma mater, the Dane County Humane Society.  Like me, Rory started off in another shelter before coming to DCHS.  In Rory's case, he started out closer to home at the Richland Area Rescue and was transferred to DCHS with his brother.  Mum met them when she was picking the kids up from Animal Careers Camp.  Every summer, the DCHS runs summer day camps for kids and our kids have gone to them for the last 3 years.  On the last day of camp, the kids give their parents a tour of the Shelter and that's when Mum met Rory and his brother.

Both pups had some little injuries on them and mum decided to ask about them.  You can see Rory's injury just left of his left eye in the picture at the top of this story. That led to her and the kids meeting Rory, playing with him, taking him for a walk and deciding he should join our family.  

Rory giving Mum the "take me home" eyes at the shelter.

Sounds simple?  Well, it wasn't quite that easy.  Before he could come home, I had to meet him to make sure he was a suitable addition to the family, and the DCHS staff had to be satisfied that we would get along and be a good match for each other. I think it's a good thing they're so particular about it as I wouldn't want some ruffian dog to come home with us and spoil the cushy gig I've got going here!

The next day, I got in the car and off we went.  It was very, very hot that day and the shelter was very busy so they weren't ready for the meet and greet when we arrived.  While we were waiting, we went for a walk and the kids showed me around the trails surrounding the shelter.  Now, with my big fuzzy coat, I don't really like the heat so, by the time I met Rory, I was hot and tired and didn't really feel like playing.  Mum was gobsmacked - Fergus meeting another dog and not wanting to play???  Totally unheard of! Maybe it was a good thing though. They had told us Rory was scared of other dogs so we weren't sure if it would work out with a big energetic dog like me.  Instead, because I was playing hard to get, after I gave him a sniff, he play-bowed and tried his hardest to get me to play with him! Of course, I pretty much ignored him - you have to let these pups know who's boss.

Since the DCHS staff didn't see us interacting very much, we had to go back the next day when I wasn't so tired and try again.  The next day wasn't so hot and everything went well with the meet and greet so Rory came home with us that day and he's been here ever since.

First day home - vying for attention from my girl

So far, everything has gone well.  I love having dog company and have been very patient and tolerant with him, even when he "borrows" my rawhides.  There are lots more treats to be had these days because Rory is training.  I find that, if I hang around and show him what to do, I can score a treat too.

Showing Rory how to get treats - works every time :)

Rory is settling in well and we're glad he came home with us.  The kids are enjoying him and even Arthur cat puts up with him.  In fact, don't tell anyone, but yesterday, I saw Rory giving Arthur a face wash and Arthur didn't even raise a paw.  I was sure he'd feel the lightning paw of ear whacks for that transgression!  In case, you're wondering, Rory's brother was adopted by another family the same day mum and the kids met Rory so it was happy tails for both pups :)