Rescue Me…

There are many things in this world that are showy, that need to be the best. Our hair, our cars, the title on our business cards – there’s lots of things that we just need to be the best at. Some people place priority on how their family Christmas card looks, despite how it might affect the feelings of the family members. Some people (I can’t really think of any friends of mine that do…) apply this to everything in their home. Even their pets. The perfect family in means of appearances.

Well, I don’t. I’m getting a rescue dog. And I had him picked out in September.

Isn’t he cute? His current name is CJ – the woman fostering him told me that she named him that because, under his front legs, the pattern looks like Colby Jack cheese. I totally laughed and agreed with her.

Anyway, my hunt for CJ began in either late August or early September, when I was pretty sure I was finally getting a new job that completely complemented my acceptance into the Texas State University Computer Science department. I didn’t keep all my eggs in one basket, I kept my mouth shut and my fingers crossed, and secretly exchanged emails with a passive excitement that all depending on landing a job, accidentally landing a roommate, and several attempts to push a move off – such as house-sitting, moving transitions, etc. With each step towards progress I would email the foster mother and say what great thing happened – and the weekend before Thanksgiving, I – well – just happened to be in San Antonio (or, I drove down there and completely hijacked someone’s weekend) (don’t see “Due Date”, it’s awful) (the San Antonio Zoo STILL rocks, and now they have a really cool bird cage you can walk in…) (and he lives really close to a Lion and the Rose Pub, which I adore) (and he has fun gadgets like camcorders that he let me play with)…

Anyway, since this year seems to be the first year I really feel like a fully-functioning adult, I’m ready to abandon a life of running away, down whatever highway I can every weekend, really settle into a place I love, STOP the commute, etc. – I want to feel at home. I totally want something to run towards me the second I get home, someone who’s always excited to see me. Seems like a dog is the best answer, seeing as how I don’t like men being in my house before I’m there, and, well, men can be surprisingly moody. Besides… Most of my friends have pets. All the relatives I visit have pets. Why not me?

I’ve always wanted a dog, I came close to adopting one when I was a junior at Texas A&M and fell in love with a Catahoula mix that I was fostering, and again right after I graduated, when I thought I had a good place for a dog. Alas, my life was so unpredictable back then. Now that I’m definitely parking my butt in San Marcos for awhile, I’m making an effort to build a life more around myself, and not which of my friends I will be visiting that weekend (although yes, that will still be part of the plan).

So why have my relatives and more than a handful of people I know picked out rescue dogs? Well, for one, they need a loving home way more than carefully calculated, pristine, ‘perfect’ dogs (who usually end up having more health problems anyway from basically inbreeding). They operate on positive reinforcement rather than negative (Yes, I am looking straight at you, Earl, Basement Cat). You completely get a bargain as the adoption fee covers vaccinations, microchipping, etc.

My aunt had some problems with her rescue dog, and I think they may be finally weaning Roxy off of her sedation drugs. I don’t anticipate some of these problems with CJ – he was dumped on the side of the road, and his current foster saved him from sticking around too long at a rescue shelter. He’s predicted to be a Shiba Inu/Terrier/Corgi/Basenji mix – but I think I’ll just tell people Knockoff Texan Cowdog/Heinz 5.

I’m also thinking I will name him Kozmo, based on the current foster’s description of his personality. Happy, funny, great temperament, etc. After talking with several of my family members, we’ve come to the conclusion that renaming a dog is a good way to build a bond between you and your new family member…