looking inside: New puppy.

After losing Melmo, my heart was broken. Mo had been part of our family for 12 years and 9 months. The hole he left in our hearts was immense. Our home became too quiet. Our 10 year old dog, KC ate and slept, but he was lonely. He was growing old quickly. KC had always looked and acted so young that people thought he was a pup. His bounce was gone and his face took on a time worn look.

As far as Joseph and I, we walked into the house and were constantly looking for Mo. We couldn't get used to the idea that he was gone. I cried often...not that I felt that was wrong...I believe in grieving for family members and our pets are part of our family.

One evening while checking out the internet, I found a 6 month old pup that had been rescued from a 5 x 5 sun porch. He was a skinny, 65 lb. Great Dane Mix. He was mostly black, with a white, spotted chest, a long tail and Doberman colouring. He was beautiful and of course, his story touched my heart. He was so filthy from living in there 24/7 and it seldom, if ever being cleaned, that it took 3 baths just to make him presentable. His muscle tone was so bad when rescued that he couldn't run. He would try, fall, get up and try again. Thankfully, being a puppy, it didn't bother him much. He spent his first weeks of freedom with a vet and then was fostered by a woman who was running a doggy daycare.

I wasn't ready for a new dog...but I went back and read his story again. I asked questions about him and decided to put in a pre-application for just in case. Since I knew the vet who ran the rescue, my application was accepted immediately. I had mentioned "Manley", the pup, in the application. It wasn't long before the foster mom called me. I was getting more excited but still held back. I knew, when we lost Mo that I was going to have another dog, but hadn't planned on a pup. Manley was still young...by this time he was 7 months. But when his foster mom said he was gentle, I teared up and said "We used to call Melmo our Gentle Giant". And I made arrangements to go to the mainland on Sunday to meet this gentle pup. I told the mom that the only reason I wouldn't take him would be if KC wouldn't accept him.

We discussed names because Manley just didn't fit this puppy. We wanted something nautical. My daughter, Bryen, has a pup named Mayday. My nephew has a boxer named Trawl. But try as we might, Joseph and I didn't agree. He came up with some good ideas, but either they didn't work for me or I would say "No...there is already a dog on the Island with that name." Being dog constable for 7 years came in handy when it came to dog names. Eventually we exhausted nautical names and I said "Look, the foster moms last name is Shipley. I know it isn't nautical, but it sounds like it could be...and since this is the foster moms first time fostering, I think it would be nice to use her name for the pup." My husband agreed. Some people might think it would be insulting to have a dog named after them, but those of us who love dogs know it is actually a compliment!

Sunday came and we got lost a few times heading to Keswick, but we made it there and found the foster home/doggy day care. Manley was brought in to meet us and we told the workers there of the name change. As I thought, the foster mom took it as a compliment and the other workers thought it was great. Once Manley, now Shipley settled down with us, we brought KC in. They got along well, even with food present. Although KC chose to put Shipley in his place a couple of times, he never actually touched him, just growled and snapped at the air. Shipley accepted KCs authority. After about 1/2 an hour, I told them we were taking Shipley home with us. Paperwork was done and we headed home.

We have only had a few problems with Shipley, mainly due to his chewing...the sofa, the wiring in my vehicle, the carpet in the vehicle, my new boots....but he has quickly been forgiven and given the proper things to chew on....and not left alone in the vehicle for even a few minutes. Why he is house trained, I will never know. I guess he is happy to be able to go outside, do his business and come back in because the only times he has made a mistake in the house were the times I didn't listen to him when he told me he needed to go outside. It didn't take many puddles for me to start paying attention.

KC plays now and although he still looks older, it just makes him look more dignified. Shipley has ballooned from 65 lbs to just over 100. I hope to have him weighed again soon, to find out how much more he has gained. He is a big puppy and still has a lot of growing to do. And yes, he IS gentle. We have not allowed him to jump at all. When someone comes in we can be heard saying "Four on the Floor, Puppy!" We haven't even taught him to give us his paw. Those things are HUGE and heavy! No hitting people with his paws.

I am so thankful I saw that pup online. Shipley has filled each of our hearts. There will always be a part of us that misses Mo, just as we still miss our other dogs. They are never far away in our hearts and minds. It is because of our previous dogs that we knew we wanted another dog. I know many people feel that they cannot put themselves through loving and losing another pet. I feel that I can do it because I still have a lot of love left to give a dog. And they give so much back to us.

Me holding KC, Joseph holding Shipley