Adopted
Cowboy...
Hello, everyone! I’ve taken a
bit of a round-about route to get to the home I’m in now, but boy am I enjoying
it. The moment I got out of the car on my first day here, my foster mom gave me
a bath. (My three foster siblings told me she’s always giving them baths, so get
used to it.) No problem for me. I love a good bath; having my muscles massaged,
cool water running down my back, being towel-dried afterwards…what’s not to
love? I stood as still as statue. I could tell by the look on my foster mom’s
face that she was pleased with me. Then we went for a walk. We just sauntered
along, with me staying close to her side, and I gave nary a look at anyone. She
said I was a model of leash etiquette!
That was two weeks ago, and I’ve now made myself right at home. My foster dad
took me to his office for the first week. I loved meeting everyone who came in
the door, from the postman to the nice lady who offices next door. She always
talks to me and pets me. I love that! As for the mailman and the others, I like
them too, but I don’t always stand up to greet them. A golden smile and wag of
the tail seem to do the trick. We take long walks through downtown Austin.
Sometimes I do talk to trucks that pass by. It’s not the “GRRRR, I want to eat
you” talk, but the “WOOF-WOOF, hey look at me” talk. I stroll along sniffing and
taking in the sights and sounds.
After the first week, I got to stay home with my doggie siblings. We’ve taken an
oath of secrecy not to reveal what goes on during the day, but my mom has
figured out that we sleep, play chase, and sleep some more. The house is always
in tiptop shape at day’s end. When mom gets home from work, we know we get to go
for a nice long walk. Of course, since it’s over 100 degrees outside even at 6
PM, we wait until later in the evening, but we always go. I love those walks,
and Mom has no trouble walking all of us… well… except, maybe Sassy the
13-month-old, who wants to lead the pack. Mom shortens her leash and she has to
stay next to me. Like I said before, I set a great example of leash etiquette!
My dad takes us for a two-mile walk every morning, too! We’re up before daylight
and out the door. One morning a herd of deer ran right in front of us. Nothing
to get excited about is my thinking. That’s how I feel about the rabbit that
lives in our house, too. He’s cute and all, but I’m not wasting any energy
getting to know him or trying to chase him around.
I overheard my mom tell my foster brother Cannon to stop taking papers out of
the trash and carrying magazines around. I had to smile because I never do
anything like that. The first morning when we were fed, I rushed to eat someone
else’s food, but by day three I had learned the routine and how to sit and wait
my turn!
Oh, yeah, when the family eats dinner they usually sit in the floor with lap
trays (shhh, keep that secret. My mom doesn’t want people to think they’re being
uncouth). Anyway, someplace or other I had acquired a reputation as a
counter-surfer and food-stealer. HA! Wrong! Even when humans eat their food
right in front of me, I just go lie down like the other dogs do!
Most of us middle-aged guys have things to say, and I like people to hear all
about it, but I’ve learned that it’s not polite to be so chatty in public. I
talk in the house to let the others know it’s time to play or that I want to
come in from outside. I talk to new dogs I meet because I want them to play with
me. These humans have learned to read me pretty well.
Well, my dad is heading to his favorite spot in front of the TV. That’s my cue
to cuddle up next him. Hope you enjoyed hearing from me today. Since I’m not
talking so much anymore, I’ve discovered the power of the pen! Yep, I’m a
resourceful kind of guy when it comes to telling my stories.
See you soon,
Cowboy