blue

after what happened with zeus, we have been biding our time in adopting another dog.  we are in love with the american bulldog breed, but didn't know if we would be able to find another one that was suitable for our family.  we even threw around the idea of adopting a little bulldog pup, but the cost for one from a breeder is as much as paying a month's rent.  but after considering how many adoptable dogs there are just in our area alone, it didn't seem right to pay $800 for a "brand new" dog.

so it was back to petfinder.  we looked here, we looked there.  waiting for the right ti

me.

today we headed down to the lorain county dog kennel to take a look a dog.  this was our first time venturing into a dog pound and the experience was a bit overwhelming.  i know that some of these dogs are probably lost dogs, but there are plenty in there with no owners to call their own.  it was very sad.  

there were also specific dogs there that have been marked because of their breed.  pit-bulls picked up at this pound (and i'm not sure if it's the case with all ohio state pound) were held for the county and not allowed to be adopted out.  i can only assume that this pound was death row for these type of dogs.  

it breaks my heart that some of these animals have no chance at finding a new home-a second chance.  when the kennels are full, the dogs that have been there the longest are euthanized to make room for other strays picked up by the pound.  i wish we could take all those dogs home. now i understand how peggy feels in the year of the dog.

but...this entry is not all depressing.  we actually went to this 

dog pound to check out this little cutie.  he was a beautiful dog, full of energy.  and i mean FULL.  they didn't have an exact age on him, but from his behavior he might have been a year old (or a little less than that).  we took him out for a little walk to see how obedient he was and get to know him a little better.  unfortunately, because of his lack of knowledge behaving around little kids combined with his strength, and energy, we decided not to take him home with us.

we took a look at a couple more cages.  there was even a female american bulldog that looked sweet but was not available until wednesday.  so we couldn't even take her out.  then,  we came across a quiet, adult-aged, coonhound.  we took him out on a walk to gauge his demeanor and he was very well-behaved.  he seemed pretty mellow, and even let emma pet him (the other dog immediately tried to lunge-not in a bad way- at emma when she tried to pet him).  so after signing a few sheets of paper, we took him home!

we have decided to name his blue.  based on our research, we believe he's a redbone coonhound (possible mix).  since he was picked up as a stray, there is no previous history on him. as you can see from the photos, he's quite malnourished.  so one of the most important things we need to do, aside from getting him checked out by a vet, is to help him gain weight.  

i think it's funny that we left with a type of dog we've never even considered adopting.  but his energy level seemed to best fit our lifestyle, and if we can save one dog from a possible death sentence then i have no problem taking this one home.  friends and family near us, please feel free to stop by for a visit to meet the newest addition to our family.