Straydog UPDATE posted SUNDAY 2/16/03 at ~9:37 p.m. CT

Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16 2003

Doodles, who was adopted two weeks ago (February 1st), was returned today

      This was a shocker of a phone call from the couple who adopted Doodles two weeks ago. Instead of a glowing report of how wonderfully everything was working out with Doodles in her new home, they said they needed to return Doodles because she was too much of a playful, jumpy puppy for their two-year-old grandchild, and they wanted to return Doodles today, if possible.

      We always take the pups and dogs back into our Happy Home for Strays if things don't work out for the pet at her (or his) new home. [Bill: Once you've been picked up by this lifeboat (Straydog), you're going to make it to shore somehow, no matter how many times we have to row you in.]

      The unexpected return of a previously adopted dog can be a bit of a problem, however, especially when our kennels are all occupied, and there is no room for the returning dog. But when this does happen, we've always been able to "mix and match" enough pairs of dogs to find a spot for the unwanted pet who is coming back.

Doodles is returned and is happy to be back at her Happy Home for Strays

      Doodles arrived right at noon, and we wanted to get her settled with a new companion right away. Her previous kennel companion, Krissy, now had another kennel mate, so our plans were to introduce Doodles to the two "single men," Billy the Border Collie and if that didn't work out, we'd introduce her to big Catahoola fellow, mellow, gentle Boomer.

      Billy and Doodles met in the park, and Billy let us know he'd prefer not to have Doodles join him as a companion, so we took Billy back to his kennel. (We're beginning to think Billy likes the "single" life). And then we brought big Boomer to the park to meet Doodles.

      Doodles and Boomer got along fine, so she joined him in his kennel, and they happily began chasing each other around and around.

What luck! Someone calls looking for a dog just like Doodles!

      This was an amazing stroke of luck. Soon after we heard that Doodles was being returned this morning, a woman called our shelter saying she and her husband (and family) were interested in adopting a young dog, preferably a Lab mix, and the type of dog they wanted matched Doodles' description and personality perfectly!

      I told the woman (Karen) all about Doodles, and that Doodles was being returned today, and while we were talking, they looked Doodles up on our website. They thought she was adorable and that Doodles was just the age and type of pup they were looking for, and they wanted to see Doodles today, if possible, so an appointment was made for them to come and see Doodles this afternoon around 3:00. The couple has three children, and the mom said that the whole family knows about happy-go-lucky puppies being jumpy and playful. This is what puppies do, the mom explained, and with patient, loving understanding (and training) the pups will soon learn good puppy-dog behavior. The family has an older male Lab, so Doodles will have a dog companion at her new home.

Doodles is adopted-again!

      What a lucky puppy Doodles is now. She and her new companion fellow have their own dog room inside the house, complete with a doggie-door for easy access to the big fenced yard, and if the dogs choose, they also have the freedom to roam the entire house, and sleep in the bedrooms with the children or mom and dad.

      We are hoping that Doodles has finally found her wonderful, forever family. The mom and dad said they'd call in a few days with the update on how all is going.

New adoptive dad, Tom, fills out the paperwork in the kennel office, and soon Doodles is in the back of Tom's car ready for the trip home to Flower Mound, Texas.

All day we have been swamped with calls to take in other rescued dogs and puppies, and there's a big rescue brewing right now, which we'll report on in the Monday update or as the story unfolds. ...