Shadow McSneezsters Holley

When we bought our house, James and I decided that we wanted to adopt a dog. We determined that we would wait until after our cruise, so as not to abandon a new pet for a week. And so, Monday after returning from our cruise, we visited the Humane Society of Utah. :)

We wanted to adopt a dog from a shelter. This made it difficult to know exactly what we would end up with. James wanted a big dog. I was nervous about getting a big dog. Especially where we're planning to have children in the near future, I was hesitant to get a dog that could knock over my toddlers. We figured that we would get a "medium" dog. 

When we arrived at the Humane Society, we walked through the Small Dogs room first. There was this little black dog in the first kennel that caught my eye. (Besides him, there was a little terrier, and then the rest of the room was full of chihuahuas. Oy.) But we moved over to the Big Dogs room. We walked a pit bull named Alaska. She was a pretty dog, and VERY enthusiastic. A little too enthusiastic for me, actually. She about knocked me over. James really liked her, but I again expressed my worry about having a big dog while we have small children. We looked around some more, but there were really any "medium" dogs there. They were all big, or small. That's about when I asked James if we could go look at the little black dog again. :)

I fell in love immediately. So immediately that the worker told me we had to spent at least twenty more minutes with him before we'd be allowed to adopt him. I was happy to spend more time with this little pup. Soon enough he was on the way home with us!

We named him Shadow. He's a Dachsund mix (mixed with what, we don't know!) about 6 months old. The Humane Society rescued him from a shelter in L.A. that was going to euthanize him. Can you believe that? A 6-month-old puppy, as sweet as can be. But apparently this shelter, like many others there, has a 3-day turnover. Three days, and if nobody claims the dog, they euthanize. So sad. The Humane Society sends their people down frequently to rescue dogs. And we're so glad they did!

Shadow turned out to be an apt name for our baby, not only because of his coloring. Shadow follows us around everywhere. It is amazing how fast he has bonded! And he is one smart cookie. He's only had one accident (at James' parent's house--he was mortified!) and has been very good about going potty. He is darling with kids--he likes to lick their faces--and hasn't nipped or growled once. He has nipped and growled at other dogs, mostly when they come near me. He's a little possessive of his mommy!

He also figured out how to use the kitty door all by himself. We left him outside when we went to work the day after we adopted him, and it rained while we were gone. I was so worried! But he figured out the kitty door--which we had thought was too small for him. It's pretty funny to watch, he has to contort himself to get through. We'll probably invest in a larger door at some point, but for now, the kitty door works!

Shadow has little quirks, of course. At the moment he has kennel cough. The coughing itself is so sad, his whole little body shakes. The worst part is actually his sneezing--he sneezes constantly and often violently. Ergo his nickname "McSneezsters."

He loves laying on soft things. It's not often that he will simply lay on the floor. He prefers laying in our laps, but he'll settle for anything comfy. His favorite spot has become a rocking chair in our front room. Most afternoons, he claims the chair for a nap. I find it incredibly cute.

Yesterday we went to the Holley's for dinner. Upon arriving, we learned that James's youngest brother Daniel had just gotten a new puppy, a little cocker spaniel he named Birdy. We were worried about how Shadow would get along with the other dogs there. We had the little accident, which might have been the result of Shadow's first interaction with a male dog since we've had him--their Corgi named Pooka. But Shadow did just fine with little Birdy--she followed him around all over the place, barking at him half the time, and he basically ignored her. I actually really enjoyed watching them together.

Birdy & Shadow
Photo courtesy of Shaylee Holley.

At any rate, our little Shadow is a delight. He makes me very happy, and I love his company. He's just a complete sweetheart!