He was 16 years old (maybe 17) and could not stand up or walk any more. We carried him up the stairs, down the stairs, outside to pee, and back in to sleep. He had fecal incontinence which mean he would just poop at anytime, even in his sleep. He was still "there" but starting to go---barking at the sunlight was one big indicator. We took him in to the vet for his euthanasia, and he had lost 8 lbs in 4 weeks. That's not the sign of a healthy dog.
It was time. We were sad, but he didn't need to suffer any more.
Dave and I decided to wait until the summer to get a new dog. We figured it would be good to take some time off and heal and enjoy the freedom of a dog free life.
Like a fool, I decided during my acute grieving to check out the North Meck and South Charlotte Animal Rescues. Honestly, I was just looking to feel better and see all the options available when we would be ready. I looked at many, many dogs and puppies on both sites. And I felt warm, but not struck-by-lightening in love.
And then I saw this little stinker.
I emailed Dave. He said he thought we were going to wait. I said ok. And THEN DAVE MENTIONED THE PUPPY TO BRIDGET! HA! Mama ain't no fool!! I emailed the rescue immediately and started the application process. Who would break our daughter's heart? The man who mentioned the puppy but didn't get her! Not I!!
So we jumped through a few hoops, and we brought home Juliet Eleven Blanchard Dougherty. Juliet from the detective in Psych (nickname Jules). Eleven from Stranger Things. Yes, she is wonderful.
She's sweet. And smart. And loving. And a wonderful puppy.
And she hates Fred, the cat. And she tried to kill a chicken.
YIKES!!!
So Jules is a Carolina Dog. That's the name of her breed. She is supposedly mixed with a bit of a yellow lab, which I can see when she's hanging around with the pure bred Yellow Lab at Puppy Training Class. But she's definitely a Carolina Dog.
This does not mean that she hates DOOK. Unless, Duke is the name of a cat or a chicken. And we didn't really know what a Carolina Dog is except that our neighbor has one, who is sweet and chases cats.
After the near murder of the chicken, we finally looked up what the Carolina Dog breed is. Do you want to know what a Carolina Dog is without looking at the wiki? It's a freaking Native American Dingo. Yes. Carolina Dogs are an ancient breed of dogs that came over on the Bering Straight and were the dogs Native Americans had, at least in the Southeast. Their closest behavioral and genetic relatives are dingoes, in Australia. Go head. Say it.
There are a lot of people who say it.
And there are certain characteristics of Carolina Dogs that we absolutely see in Jules. She will jump like a fox, particularly when then bed covers are not to her liking. She makes odd vocalizations, which to me sound like a very exasperated old man sighing at how lame the rest of us are. She loves chicken poop, especially when it is frozen and turns into a poopsicle. She has black eye-liner and black lips. She is less motivated to learn commands to please us (which was absolutely Patches' motivation) and more motivated to learn to get a snack.
A DINGO!!!
Of COURSE, we have a dingo. We have 13 chickens, two cats, two gerbils, two house rabbits, and a freaking DINGO!
Aye-eye-eye.
Except, she's a good dog. She's learning the pack rules: don't kill the chickens or bite the cats. She sleeps at my feet while I'm at my standing desk. And if I've been too active, she'll lie across my feet to keep me from moving. She gets on the furniture. And we let her sleep with us. (Patches would haunt us if he knew that)
There are times that, yes, I do think we're insane. And when I say "we," I agree with you, dear reader, as well as my family, and actually mean "I" am insane. Yeah. It keeps in interesting.
A dingo. People: A DINGO!
I love my little ding-dong dingo!
