ARTHUR

It was a typical day in the life of Diane Gonzalez. Diane's days are usually whirlwinds of family/household activity, into which rescue does its best to toss curve balls. Diane has been doing the lion's share of rescue lately, since most of the dogs in need have been in her territory. She was just about a week out of the whelping process of our Miss Lady and had two long term foster dogs ensconced in her home, when she received this..."the last thing that I need"... call from the Burlington County Animal Shelter.

The BCAS had taken in two stray Eskies--one male, one female--and despite their lovely temperaments and beautiful grooming, no owner could be located. The information on their microchips was not current, and the shelter was unable to return them to their owner. After the appropriate waiting period, Arthur (also known as Rocky on our website) and Tara were released to us for adoption.

Now, the question: what was Diane going to do with two extra dogs??? Well, this is one creative lady. She mobilized her neighbors to foster, and, by the end of the weekend, she had lined up Arthur's adoption with Denise of Philly.

Denise had been talking with us for some time about adopting an adult male dog, hoping that her nine year old Keeshond, Sofi, would be in the mood for some Eskie attention. Denise suspected that Sofi was a bit depressed after the loss of her Eskie companion, Kati, who had recently passed away with an unfortunate illness.

And so, Diane took Arthur to meet Denise and Sofi. When I received her phone report--mid-adoption while the ladies were walking Arthur and Sofi around their Philadelphia neighborhood--both dogs were in very good spirits. The introduction went well, and Denise is pleased with her new boy. She is sure that Miss Sofi will grow to appreciate Arthur's considerable good points.

Here is Denise's first report: March 30, 2004:

Hi Denise!

I renamed Rocky Arthur and we're all settling in nicely. He's very sweet and very friendly and really wants to play with Sofi. At the moment, she just tells him to get lost and retreats to a corner to sulk. So much for her wanting company. They are getting along well on walks, though, so I think all will be well in the end.

Arthur seems to be perfectly house trained, shows no inclination to chew what he shouldn't, doesn't bark much (for an Eskie!) and is really good about being brushed. He loves walks and is eager to meet people and other dogs. His only real hang up is that he thinks dog food is beneath him, but he's quickly coming around on that too. Not that he wouldn't rather share my dinner, but now that he's realized it's dog food or an empty stomach, he seems to have wisely decided to make the best of it... He's such a sweet dog I feel a bit guilty -- all I can imagine is some heartbroken family missing their obviously much loved pet!

Denise