Jeep's Meet and Greet

Jeep is the last of my CASPCA fosters from the summer floor resurfacing project at the shelter. (His official name is Jeeves, but that is far too stuffy a name for a central Virginia hound dog.) He's a very shy guy, much better with new dogs than with new people. Jeep and I have that in common. He took a month or more to make friends with me and he's not terribly interested in making any new human friends. Apparently one is enough. That is also something we have in common.

I am not a hound person. They are wonderful dogs, sweet and gentle; I've never known a hound to bite. But they howl, oh my god do they howl. He has one note and it is off key. He throws his head up and uses his entire body as a bugle. Hounds really are nothing but trumpets on four legs directed only by their nose. Still, I fell for Jeep. Partly it was his painful shyness that I can so relate to, and also his lean body and handsome look that I so envy. I've kept him as a foster and am committed to finding him a home. I take him to shepherd adoption events as the "alternative to a shepherd," but so far haven't had much luck.

At home, Jeep is a happy, confident dog. He carries his tail up high, arched over his back. At outings, Jeep's tail is tucked tightly between his legs. He will let people approach and touch him, but he won't look at them and he clearly wishes that they would go away and that he was back home running in the pasture. This is not the type of dog who works the crowd and does his part in the adoption process. Jeep is perfectly happy where he is and sees no reason to look for a new home.

Today I took him to the SPCA for the afternoon. There is a lot of human traffic there, potential adopters looking for a dog. We just sat in the lobby, hoping for the right person to come along. It was good experience for him because he needs to become a bit more social if he's going to have any chance of finding a new home. Like me at a party full of strangers, he probably hated every minute of it, but he endured. I did learn that he's particularly scared of children, and that he seems most comfortable around older men. Tomorrow is another shepherd adoption event, but I'm going to give Jeep the day off. He's earned it.