I went to PAWS yesterday and brought home a pooch. This is Lily. She's a terrier, perhaps a West Highland terrier (PAWS guess), or maybe a Jack Russell Terrier of the broken coat variety (my guess after looking through my dog breed book.
Technically, for now, Lily is a foster dog. We need to make it to the vet as she has some medical issues to look into. As long as they aren't overwhelming, it's likely that I'll finalize the adoption.
About Lily: She came to PAWS from Chicago's Animal Care & Control (the pound). She is estimated to be two years old, 25 pounds, and 16 inches tall. I am almost positive she was a family dog at some point as she is very well behaved indoors, has tremendous leash etiquette, and hasn't barked once in 36 hours. However, she is a very timid pup. She's more at ease with other dogs than people... and the use of the word pup or puppy is completely fallacious. Its almost heartbreaking to see how uninterested in play she is. Her first response to most new things is fear or disinterest.
As bad as that may sound, there's a ton of extenuating circumstances that I think are contributing to her incredible mellow temperament. First, she was spayed last week, and I'm guessing that has her feeling worn down. Additionally, I'm guessing she was on the streets for a few weeks as she had fleas, had an allergic reaction to those fleas, which cost her a bunch of fur, and may have caused some fur on her hindquarters to turn colors. (PAWS blames her "stained" fur on a flea allergy, but she also had an anal gland problem, and I think the stain pattern could be tied to that.
So, to review: On the street, fleas galore, anal gland infection, dog catcher, the pound, PAWS adoption, transport to PAWS medical clinic, no bath before being spayed (I have no idea why not... and now she's supposed to wait 10 days after her surgery before a bath), transport to PAWS adoption center, in with three other strange dogs, including an annoying daschund, then out the door with the strange man, then stuffed into a crate to be carried off balance up to the El platform, then a harrowing ride on the El with no idea where we're going, then off the El, out of the crate, into a strange building, into an elevator (she really doesn't like the elevator), and into a warm comfortable condo with the strange man. So yeah, I can see the stress... but since we've gotten home, she's been terriffic. Very quiet, very mellow, low energy, but well behaved.
So, tomorrow, we'll schedule a vet appointment and get her checked out. Provided the medical issues aren't overwhelming, we seem to be a great match.
Point of concern: Lily refuses to eat her food. She likes cheese, has eaten one or two liver treats, but seems confused by the dry food. I'm hoping she'll get hungry and eat soon.
Reason for optimism: The PAWS counselor said a couple of times that she'll have a "personality pop" once she gets acclimated to her new living situation.
Regarding the mini-Schnauzer / Chihuahua: (Link) After thinking about it for a few days, I decided not to get Farrah because she was too small. The top two reasons I want a dog are to accompany me on long walks, and to play fetch with at the park. Despite the fact that I really liked Farrah's temperament, I decided to hold out for a larger dog. On that note, Lily is the perfect size, is a terrific walking companion... but so far has not shown any aptitude for fetch.
Lily - Harry Potter's mother.
