In Search Of...

Josie being Josie

Josie my basset hound/pointer mix and I are in search of a new friend to fill the silence in our home. She wants someone to take the meet and greet pressure off her as well as someone to take over the long walks. I like five-mile hikes, Josie is more of a mile, and I’m ready for the couch.

Josie misses Wyatt. He was the first one to the door to meet everyone and now that he’s gone, I realize she used him to make sure the humans entering were okay. I run a daycare and Josie loved being with the kids, but now I realize she liked it because all she had to do was meet, greet and retreat to her chair and she and the kids were happy. Now that Wyatt is gone, the children expect Josie to stay and play.

On Thursday, I went to the local SPCA with my daughter Madeline to meet a six-month old female Labrador Retriever. She was a total cutie in her photo and her description sounded perfect. I want an active, easy to train dog and retrievers fit that mold for me. I am also partial to retrievers so that made it easier for me to take the step and meet this beautiful young pup. This isn’t the first dog I’ve looked at since Wyatt died. I checked out a few puppies that were lab/chow mixes but decided against one of them because I didn’t think the chow breed was appropriate for my life and daycare. I looked at another lab mix and he was a wonderful dog but not quite motivated by toys or food. He wanted to be a house dog and I want active. I also checked out a six-month-old Cocker Spaniel and while he was active and toy motivated, he kept humping the tech’s leg, not exactly a good mix with a house full of children.

 I want to train my dog for Canine Good Citizenship, I’d like my next dog to do therapy work and for playtime I’m hoping my new dog will love agility. Could I have  met my wooftastic match?

Stay tuned…Until next time Woof!