Meet Duncan

Well, SHE DID IT AGAIN!!!!!!! She found her ring yesterday, and brought home a new family member today!!!!!

We welcome in our newest (and very unexpected) member of our family; 3 1/2 year old terrier mix, Duncan. How he came to us is nothing short of history repeating itself! Shar had gone to the local animal shelter to get Digby and Prinnie their licenses for 2009. While there (and FAR out of my reach, since I was innocently at work), she wandered in to the puppy trailer, kitty trailer and big dog kennels.

For those of you who don't know, we lived in Tucson for 6 years prior to settling in California. While there, we "saved" an unknown number of dogs from their certain death and found most of them homes over time. We did, however, end up with a few of our own, which prompted a sincere heart-to-heart discussion about how Shar needed to be banned from the shelter, and eventually the ban grew to include the road that led to the shelter.

Anyhow, back to Duncan...she saw a pup that she swore was a miniature version of our dear Dugan. Of course, she called me and told me about the little dog, and we both agreed that although it would be wonderful to have a dog that was similar to our Dugan, no one could ever replace her. After about 30 minutes, my curiosity got the best of me, and I went on to the shelter's web site to see this little one. I wasn't sure if I found her or not, but I did see a dog that could be her, except this one was a boy. Cute and scruffy, but what caught my eye was that this dog had been at the shelter the limited amount of days and would most likely be "put down" within the next day. Neither of us could stand the thought of that.

When I came home from work, we checked the web site again. He was still there. So Shar headed back to the shelter with Prinnie, Digby and a neighbor to visit the little guy and see how the three would interact. He was friendly, curious and sweet. Prinnie and Digby were indifferent once they got past the initial sniff the butt tests. Shar put a deposit on him and came home. Within a few hours, an Animal Control Officer came to the house to do a "home visit" to make sure that if the little guy were to be adopted, he would be going to a good home with a secure, fenced yard. Seconds later, the officer was gone. We had passed.

This morning, I headed to work, and Shar headed back to the shelter. About 2 hours later, she was on her way home with a stinky little sweetheart that we named Duncan. He is actually really cute and mommy's little shadow! Prinnie and Digby were very territorial at first (to be expected) so their introductions were outside for a while. We were determined to stick with our routine, allowing Digby and Prinnie as much consistency as possible. Shar bribed them all with treats, which was a winner in getting them all to sit inches from one another within seconds.

Duncan knows some basic commands, but we will certainly be heading back to PetsMart to "school". He is timid tonight, and has gotten the message that he won't be the pack leader. He seems ok with that.

Duncan had his first vet appointment late this afternoon, and other than a little cold, he appears to be in perfect health. Now that he has had all his shots, he can be registered. BY MAIL!!!!!!! Shar has successfully managed to be banned from all California shelters. Oh, the funny part?? This dog doesn't look a bit like our Dugan!