A few short for the upcoming three dog nights...

My foster dog, Dakota, has gone to live with his new forever family! I drove him down to his new home in Portsmouth, NH yesterday and he slept curled up with his head in my hand the whole way down. The lovely young woman who will be Dakota's new best friend has another dog for Dakota to play with and, in fact, her dog is super-shy and the hope is that Dakota will help bring the other dog out of her shell a bit.

It was heartbreaking leaving him there (those eyes! he was just so confused that I wasn't bringing him with me!) but I am confident that he is in capable and loving hands. Dakota is the kind of dog that is trusting and open to new people, and the fact that he bonded so strongly to me after being here for so short a time (he was here for a month, but he decided I was trustworthy after about four minutes) is a great sign that he is able to adapt and form attachments to new people. I, on the other hand, am having a bit of a hard time with it! I sure will miss that goofy, loveable guy. And, you know, now I'll be down by two when we have another "three dog night." Heating oil is coming down in price, that's true, but for me, a couple of dogs on the bed is better than a nice warm quilt or cranking up the furnace. Better for the environment, too, because you can turn that thermostat down a few notches at bedtime.

Adopting a dog is good for the planet! :-) If you're buying what I'm selling, you might want to visit petfinder.com for your next bedwarmer.

In the meantime, (speaking of the quilt option...) Here's what I've got in progress:

"Tree of Life" panels going into a modified log cabin design for pillows.

Strips for the "Pinwheels" version of the Bamboo & Pinwheels design.

You know, the one I couldn't wait to start and so I didn't bother ordering the pattern? Well, the bamboo portion was pretty easy but the pinwheels -- oy vey! I'm just winging it. If I can't get it to look like the picture in the pattern I'm just going to pretend I invented a new design. ;-)

DAKOTA!

This is my new foster dog! He is a handsome lab/pointer mix about 2 years old. He's got this big boxy head I am just mad for and he is very, very laid-back. I picked up Dakota at transport and he greeted me with a kiss and then demonstrated he could "sit" and "give paw" for a treat. He walks well on a leash (doesn't drag you around), loves to ride in the car, and upon his arrival here at my house demonstrated some pretty socially-savvy dog manners. He defers to my resident dog, Tim, and even though he had just endured a grueling day on the transport trailer from Arkansas he patiently let Tim sniff his butt repeatedly, try to hump him, and follow him around incessantly - all without complaint.  He mostly just ignores the cats (except for Ebbie, who sidled right up to give him a cat greeting (rubbed up against him); and in return Dakota just gave him a lick on the head.

I love Dakota's "mittens."

We are not sure why this dog ended up in rescue; most of these dogs were simply found as strays in the South. As handsome as he is, Dakota is a victim of "black dog syndrome." My guess is that this guy had a loving home at one point; he is so well socialized and affectionate that it's hard to imagine that he has spent any great length of time on the lam or in the shelter. Previous foster family vouches for his awesomeness with their children and other pets also.

What strikes me the most about Dakota is that after all he's been through the past couple weeks, he is so trusting, so happy, so eager to please. He is constantly looking to my dog and to me to make sure he is doing what he is supposed to do, and his tail virtually never stops wagging. I'm getting all verklempt just thinking about it. He's going to make someone a GREAT family dog.

 
"Aren't I handsome!?"

DID SOMEONE SAY "FRITOS???"

I HAS A STICK

Here's Dakota, just chillin in the yard, catching a breeze. Dakota is such an awesome guy, he totally deserves to catch a break too; if you would like to meet Dakota drop me a note. If you are interested in adopting Dakota, or becoming a foster to one of these great dogs while they wait for their forever family to find them, visit Almost Home Rescue for more info and to fill out an application!