Anyone who knows me is probably a little confused right now. I have a reputation for not being an animal person. I do like animals, a lot! I think its more that I just don't gush over anything, dogs, babies, the newest, cutest YouTube video. I am low key. Geoff has been itching for a dog for years. Owen is a little nervous about dogs, but excited and Noah would love a wrestling companion. I started thinking I would like a running and walking partner (besides my lovely sister, Andrea!). So, we have started a quest for a dog.
I think a dog would be great for Noah. A large study done in Great Britain (http://bit.ly/vI9Pny) demonstrated that dogs can help children with Autism with their social skills, self-care skills, provide comfort and reduce stress and anxiety. Well, I'd say we could all use a little of that! Noah would also love all the tactile sensation of petting a dog. I have visions of the perfect "Nana", the dog/nanny in Peter Pan who lovingly cared for Wendy, John and Micheal.
We saw a cute one on the Oregon Humane Society website and took the long drive out to the pet shelter to meet him. Going there is a little like going to the Olive Garden, you check in and they give you a beeper and beep you when your dog is ready. While waiting for our dog I was walking Noah around. Noah started running. Too late, I noticed a man kneeling down looking at leashes. Side note about Noah, he loves men and he loves when they are crouched down because then he can dive on them. I knew I wasn't going to get to Noah before he reached the guy. So, I started calling out pre-emptive "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again. Noah dives on the guy's back and nearly knocks him into the leashes. I issue one more apology while I scoop up my kid and thankfully our beeper was going and we were ushered to our room to meet our potential doggy friend.
In comes Oscar. He is an 18 month old beautiful black lab. The handler with him is giving us all sorts of information that wasn't on the website. The handler is saying that he is "mouthy" and likes to give "bear hugs". While I am kneeling down petting him, I am instructed not to look at Oscar in the face because he will take it as a "challenge". This is so not the charming guy we saw on the website. The handler also keeps emphasizing that Oscar is being abnormally good with us right now. So, I have to say to her that he is beautiful but maybe not a good fit with the kids. What I am thinking is "no to psycho Oscar". She seems relieved to tell me that she "110% agrees".
We walk around to look at the other dogs held there. We saw a cute little Dauschaund. I have a fondness for these little guys because my Grammy had one when I was little. This guy hated Noah. Every time Noah ran by his cage he barked and growled. We visited with two more dogs. But didn't find our perfect boy or girl today. We are going to take our time to find a good match for our family. My "Nana" is out there somewhere!
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