And They Call it Puppy Love

So, if you know us, we've been wanting a dog for ages.  As far back as I can remember.  When we lived in New Orleans, there was one puppy that I really liked.  She was at a pet store, sadly, but she was this grey and black splotchy lanky puppy.  I was going to name her Splotches.  I called the landlady to ask if we could have a dog.  She never returned my call.  Someone snatched up Splotches on the day she became available to adopt.

After Katrina, one day I was driving down Jefferson Highway.  I saw an SUV pull over on the side of the road.  Then the SUV pulled away.  I thought I saw little black puppy paws.  So, I pulled over.  It seemed that this little puppy probably had been near the road and the SUV pulled over to investigate, but left him there.  I found him in this run down garage or shed full of all kinds of loose dangerous stuff.  He came out straight to me.  He was a little black terrier mix puppy.

So, I did the only thing I could think of.  I picked him up and put him in the back seat of the car.  I got in the driver's seat, and he came up to the front.  He situated himself so his head was in my lap, and that's the way we road back to the house.

So, I brought him home.  The cats were so pissed.  He liked to chase them through the house to the bed, where they would run under to hide.  He seemed to be kind of housebroken, but he had no problem just waking up in the middle of night to piss or shit in the dining room.

I think when the FP saw him, he thought this was going to be our dog.  But, we were about to move across the country.  How the hell were we going to find an apartment in San Diego with two cats and a puppy.  So, I posted a listing for him on petfinder or some site like that.  No answer.  I saw a picture of a puppy that almost looked like him, but more jowly.  I emailed the guy with a picture of the puppy, but he said it could not be his.

So, I posted on craigslist.  A lot of people responded.  All from out of state.  People wanted a Katrina dog.  One nice woman asked me why I didn't keep him.  I told her how we were moving and we couldn't afford it at the time. She offered to pay for vet bills whether or not we kept him.

So, the FP took him into the vet.  He felt like this was his puppy.  But, someone local responded.  Her beloved dog had passed away a while ago, and she wanted another.  So, we took him to see her.  She had a big black lab who he wanted to play with.  He also tried to hump her.  She said she would talk to her husband about it.  We urged her to take him already for a trial, and so the husband could meet him.  So, she reluctantly took him.  And that was the last we saw of Oliver.

So, a year or so ago, I realized what kind of dog I wanted.  A shiba inu.

 

They are so sweet looking, they stay relatively small, they don't bark much, they are loyal and catlike.  They have a curly tail kind of like a chow.

The only problem, is that we want a puppy.  If he or she is socialized with cats from a young age, no problem.  If we get in a full grown dog in with the cats, who knows what will happen?

Shiba Inu puppies are rare in a rescue situation.  Usually they already dogs who are given up by owners who can no longer take care of them.  You don't see too many breeder raids with a bunch of puppies or anything.  So, it could take forever for us to find the right shiba inu.

Or we could just not be so stringent with our requirements and rescue a puppy now who needs rescuing.  So, I looked on petfinder.  There were some nice pups.  But this one was the winner:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22415289

So, I emailed the shelter and I filled out an application.

Now, all we can do is wait!