meet jerry
So Pete has been gone less than two weeks, and we've already adopted a little shelter pup.
This is Jerry. (I voted for Phil. Brian wanted Carl. We all thought Jerry was pretty funny, and it's sticking.)
The truth is I've been trolling Petfinder and the shelter websites for about a year. Petey had been pretty feeble and crabby for awhile, and I wanted the kids to have a dog that they could play with and cuddle. Deep down though, we all knew it couldn't happen until Pete was gone.
Brian and I always assumed that we'd find another Jack Russell- with the typical white body and brown/black spots. But seeing those little dogs that look so much like Pete was too hard. The sadness is still fresh.
The kids and I saw this little fella at a local shelter, Animal Haven. He's a terrier mix- probably about 2 years old. His appearance is different enough, but he's the right size for us. We walked him around the shelter grounds and he was super affectionate to the kids. He played with the other dogs. We took Brian to see him and he agreed.
So we said yes.
As he settles in here, I realize he's much more Jack Russell than I thought. He's almost the black version of Pete, with a longer body and a longer tail. But his demeanor is much more easy going than Pete's ever was. He's a little doggy-ADD-ish, but what young terrier isn't?! He seems happy. Thankful even.
I braced myself for the adjustment period, but honestly there hasn't been much. Knock on wood, I do believe he's already house-trained! A day and a half have passed accident free. He walks well on the leash. He happily greets new adults and children. A small handful of treats later, and he's learned "sit". He stays off the furniture. He fussed in his crate for a couple of minutes last night, but quickly curled up and drifted off.
It's fun getting to know each other. I hope things continue this smoothly... this pup has some big paw prints to fill.
