Diesel & Dakota

Diesel's new parents left their home in NC about 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning and arrived at my place at 9:00. They are great people and were very excited and happy to have him. Apparently he slept all the way home, saving up the necessary energy to spend the rest of the day playing with their other dogs, particularly the young boxer, Vadar. I'm sure there were some very tired dogs in that house last night.

Why did they win the Diesel lottery?
1. Large fenced yard for the dogs to play in, safely and off leash.
2. Demonstrated enthusiastic interest in the dog, e.g. an email in addition to the application, pictures of their other dogs (left), and an offer to come get the dog as soon as they could, vs. "when will you be up this way so I can see the dog at my convenience."

3. A history of good vet care (they already have an appointment scheduled for Diesel).
4. A dog-centered, dog-friendly household, (see pics).
5. No kids. I don't have anything against children, and have placed many dogs in child-rearing homes, but they are often the cause of a failed adoption.
6. Large, fenced yard. I repeat it because it's a huge plus in my book. It's not a necessity for every dog, but I feel that it was for Diesel.


After sending Diesel home, with Clay's help I finally forced myself to read the dozens of emails accumulated in my mailbox about Dakota. I eliminated those one-liners that just said "I found Dakota on Petfinder, send me more information." I eliminated those without a fence and with children no taller than the dog. Then I began kicking myself for possibly missing out on what may be the perfect home:
1. 20+ years of shepherd history. This is a breed where experience matters.
2. Large, fenced yard.
3. No small children.
4. Active, outdoors people who live with their dogs: "We bought our property for the land, we live in the house, not for it."
5. Demonstrated commitment to rescue with prior adopted dogs.
6. Willing to get off their butts to make it happen. They live in Blacksburg and had already driven to North Carolina to meet a dog and were coming to Harrisonburg, VA on Sunday.

Fortunately, their email included their cell phone numbers. I called, apologized for not responding to their emails, and discovered that they were at the VGSR adoption event in Harrisonburg, but were still interested in meeting Dakota. I grabbed the paperwork and the dog and drove out to meet them at a Sheetz gas station off of I-81.

Dakota was a little freaked out by it all. Looking at these pictures makes me realize what we put these dogs through and expect out of them. He had spent the morning like every morning for the past 3 or 4 weeks, playing with Brady. Suddenly I go out with a leash and collar, pull him from his known environment and put him in a car. He stressed out and his breakfast came up, but still he rode nicely for the hour or so drive. Then we get out in a cold, windy, concrete parking lot with a lot of cars and people around, and meet two complete strangers and their dog. Not an ideal meeting environment. He didn't know what was happening and he reacted a little defensively, fur up and a bit of growling at first. But still he walked with them, let them handle him, and did the standard dog greeting with their other dog. I loaded him into their crate and he went home with them.


In spite of the less than ideal beginning, I think this stands a good prospect of success. The people are realistic and know that they will need to take it slow, earn the dog's trust, and let the dogs build a relationship on their own terms. It's a great, great home, and he's an awesome dog, so it was definitely worth a shot.