A visit to Petersburg

This was the picture that got me on the road
to pick him up as soon as possible.

It was a cold, wet, yucky day. I had finished my work for the week and had no real plans for Saturday. I spent some time organizing my leashes and harnesses that hang by the door. My phone rang and it was an Animal Control Officer from Petersburg, calling about a shepherd mix that had just come into their facility. The dog is 11 years old, had only one previous owner who had recently died. The family didn't know what to do with the dog. The owner had been one of the local officers, so the ACO picked up the dog and tried to find a placement for him. They didn't want to put him back in the kennels because the poor guy would have been terrified.

The shelter staff took this picture of us as
we were leaving the shelter. (I cropped off
my head for artistic purposes.)

I asked them to send me a picture and they did, and I was on the road within the hour.

Jackie at Peaceful Passings had referred them to me and they already had Peaceful Passings' info, so he came out under them. I want to thank Jackie for calling them and authorizing me to pull the dog, and also thank Debbie with Promises who also responded quickly sending in the information for that organization because I wasn't sure who I could reach and who could get it there in time. I even printed out the shelter's adoption application thinking I'd just adopt the dog myself if we couldn't get rescue paperwork there on time. They kept the dog in an office and wanted him out before they closed if at all possible. After seeing the look on the dog's face, my only question was whether he was good with other dogs, and they sent me a pic of him with a chihuahua who apparently chased him off.

He had no problem with the crate on the ride
home, even with the brief stop in town.

I had never been to Petersburg and I didn't see much of it, but the Waze route took me through some neighborhood streets once I got off the interstate. The shelter was small, but it smelled clean and the staff were obviously dedicated and caring people doing the best they could with what limited resources they had.

It's a worried look, but what else could you expect?

After I got the dog, I looked up the address for Trapezium Brewery and they were just over a mile away. That was too close not to check it out. Another windy route through some neighborhood streets brought me there where I had an excellent beer and a couple slices of pizza. I'm not really sure what parts of Petersburg I saw. There were many old houses, some really beautiful, but in the same block there might be ramshackle houses, empty places, and a generally decrepit look. Interesting town, I'd like to go back and see more of it.

Oh, the dog? They tell me his name is R.W., don't ask me why. He rode home in a crate without making a peep. We introduced him to part of the pack and he's installed in a crate in my office for the night. He seems like a nice boy but he has a lot of decompressing to do. His owner died, he lost the only home he's ever known, spent the day in a noisy shelter, and now has landed in our zoo. He can't have any idea what's going on or what's going to happen. I'm just trying to make the transition as easy as possible. He's a senior dog, so he'll be a well-behaved dog who knows the ways of the human world.

She met Maya, Trooper, Della, and Serena.

Della is still getting used to this fostering business, but I
only had to tell her once to be nice.