PUPPY!!

Recently, Michael had been "hounding" me about getting a new dog.

His dog Ruckus disappeared a year ago without a trace. There's been no sense of closure to the disappearance and he wouldn't give up hope for a long time that he would return. But, after a year it doesn't look like it will happen.

He'd been searching the Humane Society and Animal Control websites nearly daily. At first it was to see if Ruckus turned up. Lately it was more to see if there was a dog that might fit the bill of a new family member. We weren't sure if we wanted an adult dog that we didn't have to potty train, or a new puppy that would be "ours" from the start.

Burton Guster Douglas, "Gus"

We (I) decided on this little guy yesterday. He's a 2 month old Catahoula/Lab cross. Michael had seen that there was a litter of 13 puppies at the pound. He looked up the Catahoula breed and they were a pretty neat sounding dog. But, I kept saying "NO. We don't need a puppy!"

I was curious, though. I went to the Humane Society the next day after work... just to look... and play with some puppies. This little nugget was the best mannered and mellowest of the bunch. Very playful and puppyish, but also respectful and affectionate. Holy cow, I couldn't stop playing with this little guy.

I called Michael and told him I'd found his dog. Turns out he's kind of my dog. I've been the one taking him out in the middle of the night. I'm the legs he curls up under when he tuckers himself out. I'm the one he runs to when someone says "Come!". I guess he just misses his mommy. Oh, Gus...