Touching River

One of the first things I wrote about River when we got him back in December is that he did not like to be touched - River. Yet one of the things I noted when he met his new person today was just how much he liked being touched. He sought it out, leaned into it, and soaked up as much personal contact as he could.

River came with a most horrific backstory. He was saved from the Korean dog meat trade along with hundreds of other dogs and brought to this country by the Humane Society of the United States. He had never known a kind touch from a human who viewed him as anything more than a commodity. I remember the first time taking him out to the pasture to run he was reluctant to come through the gate into the open space and once he was out there, he didn't know what to do. 

He was come a long way. Although he is still very lean, he definitely has put on a lot of lean muscle and not an ounce of fat. He's much stronger, he knows how to run and play, and he no longer fears being touched. Although River was ready for the next step, adoption, I had considered and was perfectly okay with a future in which River ended up with us permanently. Adoption is a much better option for him and I really hope it all works out. Word from the adopter this evening was: "So far, so good." Erika and I both had a good cry when he left from Green Dogs this afternoon. 

The last thing I wrote in that first post about River was that this experience was pushing me hard in the direction of becoming vegan. River has probably come further than I have in these few months, but I have made some progress in that direction. 

I really liked this adopter because she was very "hands on." 

He loved that and I loved seeing it.

Compare the picture above, taken today, with the one below, when he first arrived.

He has definitely put on weight and once he's living the easy life of a 

house dog with a work-from-home mom, he should pack on a few more pounds.