The Newest Addition

I recently commented on how the hubs and I aren't really in the wanting-to-have-kids camp right now; but that's not to say that we are soulless, heartless folks who can't care for anything. Quite the contrary, actually, as we are totes magotes one of those couples who considers their animals to be their "kids".

The current clan, up until Wednesday, included 2 kitties and a pup.  One cat (Tegan) I got from a friend in Philly who had a litter of kittens, and the kitten (Platypus) and dog (Juno) both came from a local spot called Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL). Seriously the bees knees.. if you're in the DC area and looking to adopt/save a life - go there.

(At one point, we did have 3 cats, but my oldest - Tully, 7yrs - passed away due to lymphoma in December. His illness was the main reason we got the third cat, to try and bridge the gap for our other cat and dog. Turns out newbie got along better with the cat that passed than the one we still have.. but no matter. He and the dog are BFFs!)

Scot has been hounding me for a second dog pretty much since we got our first one, and the answer has always been a resounding NO. See, I tend to get overwhelmed easily. At least when it came to having and training a dog - that was  an experience I realized I may not have been fully prepared for when it happened. Getting a dog made me realize how much I am definitely a "cat person" - they're independent, cuddly, and small. All things that jive well with my life. But that's not to say that I don't like dogs - I love 'em - but going into that was seriously similar to having a child (says the childless wonder over here). At least my mom said it was similar, and she HAS had a kid.. so yea. I'll trust her and agree.

But for the past two years, the hubs would always go onto WARL's adoption page and send me pictures of cute dogs that needed rescuing. And even though their little eyes would stare deep into my soul, begging for me to take them home.. I had to be realistic. Two cats and two dogs (not to mention two humans), in our little duplex? No.

But then there was Ballerina. Scot sent me her picture and bio several times.. to be honest, her name alone had me hooked (former dancer, here!). And she was some form of boxer/bulldog/pit mix, which is freaking adorable when you mush them all together. Week after week went by, and her name kept appearing on the adoption site. Two months.. three months.. no one was adopting her.

Finally, I agreed to go in to see her - "just to look". (Famous last words.) I think I was still on my Chris Carrabba high from the day before, because after meeting her, I told Scot that if she was okay with the dog and the cats, we could adopt her.

Without going too much into detail - and since we ALL know where this is going - we ended up bringing her home just 4 days later, this past Wednesday!

She's 3 years old, and came from a kill shelter in DC before making it to WARL. She has clearly had at least one litter of puppies at some point in her life, and definitely has some abandonment issues. She was put on Prozac just a few weeks ago since the stress of being at shelters so long was clearly getting to her, and was incredibly timid in her crate but really opened up once we got her in a bigger room with just the two of us. The staff at WARL believes she wasn't getting adopted in part because of her breed, in part because of how not active she was in her kennel when people walked by, and in part because of the unending loop - she wasn't being adopted, and people don't want "unadoptable" pets. We were told she has select dog-reactivity, some leash aggression (as in, chews up her leash), and has a prey drive - which is a toss up in the air about whether or not she will ever get along with our cats.

All this being said, it actually made us want to adopt her more - to truly save and rescue her. We brought our dog Juno in to meet her ahead of time, and they got along just fine. We then spoke to the behavior specialist/trainer who has been working with Ballerina over the past few months, who gave us great tips on introducing her to the cats slowly. Everything was looking up, and it was like our answer was made for us. When we picked her up, I can't even tell you how many people/staff came to say how happy they were, how much they would miss her, and how great she is. That right there nearly made me cry!

So we officially have a full house, and I swear to you if Scot sends me another picture of a dog I will make him sleep on the couch.

Oh - and I almost forgot! We renamed her Khaleesi. MOTHER OF DRAGONS. (Ballerina was just her shelter name!)