the great dog hunt

The good news is, the person with the dog we really wanted called! The bad news is, they already found a home for it. She said that it's a family who have some concern that their daughter might be allergic. They're keeping the dog for a 10 day trial period. The woman said she would keep my number in case the daughter is allergic and they can't keep the dog.

So I'm kind of bummed that the dog isn't available, but mainly I feel much better now that 2/3 of the people I called have called me back. Also I found petfinder.com which has tons of listings. I spent some time searching last night and found a few who look promising:

Jennie.
Jennie is a bit larger than what I wanted (I was hoping for a dog that I could easily pick up this time, so I don't have to lift weights just to get the dog into the bathtub). But the description of her temperament is perfect. And she's at the Orange County shelter which is closer than the others. We're going to save her listing in case the others don't work out.

Dogaroo.
This one is so cute. Or do I just think she's super adorable because she kind of looks like Thirteen? The part about her not pulling the leash is a good sign of a mellow dog, although she's a bit far away (I looked it up, Staley is outside Greensboro). And that name would have to go. Still, it's not too far of a drive for the right dog.

Lucky 1.
Lucky 2.
Georg and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if these two were the same dog. Same name, same mix of breeds, same age ... what are the chances? We visited the Wake County shelter (home of Lucky #1) today and sure enough, they are the same dog. Lucky was transferred to a foster mom in Franklin County in March. Lucky's Wake county listing didn't get removed because the person who used to update the Wake shelter listings went back to school and the site hasn't been updated in a while.

So far Lucky is my favorite of the bunch. Her temperament sounds like just what we want, and at 35 pounds I could give her a bath without giving myself a hernia. Beagle cuteness without beagle manic energy, yes! I'm not crazy about the photos of her sitting on the couch. Lina slept on the couch for a long time and it was a bad habit. Dog hair all over the place and if I tried to nap on the couch myself, she would take up half the space and I would wake up with cramped legs. I was very happy when I finally convinced her to stay on her own bed. But I could easily live with it again if Lucky made Thirteen happy.

Franklin County is a bit far away, and this one sounds like they would want to inspect my house, which is a pain in the butt. But still, I think Lucky sounds really promising. (Her name would probably have to be changed though. I don't think we can have two dogs named "Lucky" and "Thirteen.") I called her foster mom this afternoon and left a message. Brief this time so I can't agonize over whether I sounded too weird or needy on the phone. Here's hoping she calls back soon!