Good things come to he who waits

This day was a long time coming.  Yesterday I received a call I had been hoping for, but dared not expect, for several weeks.  It was Cooper's adopter calling to say that she thought that Teddy was working out in her household and that she was prepared to make it official.  Teddy has a home at last.

I went over there this afternoon and we completed the contract giving Teddy a home at last.  Teddy is using his crate (it's his safe zone indoors), is fine with cats both inside and out, and he plays with Cooper (his primary job).  He also gets along with the senior girl, Honey (his first friend in the household), and he is beginning to come up to the woman, at least when she's on the other side of the fence.  He even ignored a flock of chickens that came into the dog yard. 

She describes Teddy's behavior as autistic, and I think that may be fairly accurate. He definitely has some sort of mental disease or defect.  He does fine in a well established routine but he can't handle changes in his environment or routine, and he doesn't like to be touched.  Fortunately, he's a follower of other dogs and takes his cues from Cooper and Honey as to the household routine and how they all interact with each other.  Hopefully he will become even friendlier over time and learn to trust, but at least he's happy and he has a better home than I could provide for him here. 

I met the woman who adopted Cooper at an adoption event at the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA sometime this past March.  Cooper's adoption happened shortly after that and Teddy's adoption today was an attenuated result of that same meeting.  I need to remind myself of things like this on those days when I go out with dogs, sit with them for several hours at an adoption event, and bring them all back home without any apparent prospects. 

I can't say enough good things about Teddy's adopter.  She could have adopted any number of easier, better socialized dogs, but she knew he needed a home and wanted to give him a chance.  She knew he would take a while to settle in and she gave him all the time he needed without pushing him too fast. She didn't expect him to be anything other than what he is, but hoped that he could be happy in her home.  Teddy's new home would be a great home for any dog, but it's the perfect home for him.