Adding to my Pack

Those of you who know me know that I have a passion for our furry friends.  No, I’m not a furry (I’m not even quite sure what that is but I kind of got it), but I love those 4-legged friends who bring us so much joy and comfort. 

When I was a kid, I rescued a bunch of stray animals.  A few pigeons, beaten up by local cats, ended up on a card table in my bedroom as they healed, and then, when freed, they stayed on the roof outside my bedroom window for years. Seriously.  They never left!  I kept shooing them away – “Go and play!  You are healthy!  You can fly!  My parents are selling the home!  Leave!”  I wonder whatever happened to them. They, or their progeny, might still be lingering on that roof.

I did take in several dogs who wandered down the block, looking lonely and miserable and needing a loving home, and after I got them tidied up and comfy I got them placed with good people.   Whether it was the owner who couldn’t find his pet or a new guardian, I loved being able to settle the pup into its forever home.

I went to UC Davis with the intention of moving on to vet school.  While that dream never materialized – my grades were excellent, unlike my confidence – I continued to open my home to various pets during the next several decades, beginning with two cats in my first home, a little penthouse condo in Torrance.

Several years into our marriage, my then-husband introduced me to Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and since then, my pack has included two purebreds, a few mixes, several short-term foster RRs and one wanna-be RR who was really a shepherd mix.  I prefer one dog at a time but keep my eyes open in case a purebred Ridgeback becomes available for rescue.  They don’t show up often on the rescue sites here in L.A.

I recently lost my dear pup Harley to bone cancer, and my dog Hailee is becoming quite the senior, so my RR radar has been on full alert.  I have to admit – it’s hard, living alone and working from home to be without a dog.   Guardians and companions, they are necessary, and I have been known to rescue “transition” dogs.   When we had to put Jasper to sleep, the void in my heart and in the house was immense, and I (sorry to say) went against Peter’s request to be pet-free for a while and found Ringo a few months later.   Since then, when the sad occasion of losing a pet becomes inevitable, I am not completely alone.  (Ironically, deciding to bring in a new dog without Peter’s agreement was probably one of the reasons I am now divorced.  That is a whole different story.)

This week, a beautiful new dog joined the Casa Gonzalez pack.  Meet Noelle.  Her owner, a pastor at a local church, is battling a serious illness and decided he couldn’t provide her the quality of life she deserves.   She is 4 years old, very sweet and gentle and a bit timid.  She doesn’t understand the concept of a dog door and is a moose.   She definitely was not underfed and there are a lot of long walks in our future.   Which is not a bad thing.  I am not underfed either. 

Hailee likes her, which was the determining factor.  The meet and greet was pleasant and they played nicely after a walk in a neutral area.   What is interesting is that they are both “beta” dogs.  Harley was the bad-a** Alpha dog and Hailee always deferred to her.  Now it’s, “You go first.”  No, please, after you!”  “Would you like to finish my kibble?”  “Oh, no, you should have some of my treats.”  It will be interesting to see if either dog steps up to Alpha.  My money is on Hailee.