Happy Tails
Dodger
Sometimes after a hard start in life, good things come to you. That is certainly the case for a black lab named Dodger who I had the pleasure of meeting last week. He was found in a dumpster in Iowa and then found his way to Pet Haven. His foster parents had him and his two brothers for a few weeks, and the quickly picked up on some differences between
Dodger and his siblings. He was obviously the dominant one, taking toys away from them. In time he learned from his foster siblings that being bully was not acceptable and he became a better playmate.
His two brothers were adopted a few weeks before he was, and that is where his current "mom" and "dad" come in. They saw Dodger and inquired about him only to find that another family was going to come get him but they were second in line. The first family never showed up, so while "dad" was gone for two weeks "mom" went to get him. Boy was she in for a surprise!
Dodger was five months old at the time and all full of puppy and he liked to chew as lab puppies do. And what to chew? Everything! Dodger has flourished in his new home, more than doubling his weight in two short months. His coordination is improving as well, though he still trips over his own huge feet when they are out on walks.
They have also seen some changes to him as he is growing into a young dog. In addition to being a great source of entertainment and their first child, he is a companion and a protector. Dad works nights so Dodger gets to be the "man of the house" in the evenings and he takes his job seriously. He has two distinctive barks; the normal bark that is his voice and the "big boy" bark that he uses only to alert someone to a problem. That big bark will scare off an intruder with any sense, and the house is safe when Dodger is on patrol.
If being a guard dog wasn't enough for Dodger to earn his keep, he delivers the family their slippers, acts as a source of entertainment, and is always ready to be soft furry companion on a cold night.
They are very lucky to get a dog with such a great heart, so fun and full of life and energy and Dodger is very lucky to find two people that will love him through his teenage angst that is just a month or so away. Congratulations on your new family Dodger, and congratulations on learning to swim, as you spend more time in the water you'll understand why you have those giant webbed feet you are always tripping over when you're on land!