Heaven on Earth

Mancub-less weekend! It was so strange not to have him here. Poor little guy. Even though it was a pretty busy weekend for me, it still seemed so quiet compared to the whirlwind created by the Mancub's arrival. T-Bone took him to the hospital Friday night because he had some bloody discharge coming from his ears but the docs said that it was no more than usual after getting tubes put in.

But that's not why this post is titled "Heaven on Earth!" No, not by a long shot. T-Bone's arrangement with the Mancub's mom was that he would stay with the Mancub Saturday while she worked and she would be with him Sunday. So on Saturday morning I decided to go down to the Washington Animal Rescue League because it seemed from Petfinder that they had quite a few small dogs. Since the Mancub is terrified of dogs, a pup that is smaller than him is pretty much required.

So I woke up, got dressed, downed a protein shake to keep the hunger at bay and headed off for Northwest. Mapquest did me wrong, however, so I had to pull over - no cell phones in DC! at least not next to your ear and I can never understand anyone on speaker - and call the rescue for directions. I finally found my way there, signed in and headed back to the kennels.

Where my jaw dropped. I have never seen a boarding facility like this for people, much less animals. You walk in and immediately notice the soft relaxing new age music playing on the PA system. Each kennel is covered in a domed skylight so that the animals will have light and a sheet of water runs across the skylight, adding the soothing sounds of water flowing. Dancing light beams flash and wink across the walls.

A shelter volunteer tells me that underneath the concrete floors, half of each kennel is heated and half is cooled, so if a chihuahua and a Siberian husky are bunking together, they can each be comfortable. Instead of wire cages, the walls are made of frosted brick so that the dogs do not feel confined but cannot see each other, so there is no cage aggression. The kennel is remarkably quiet; except for a few dogs passing each other in the hallways, there is none of the frantic barking that you find in the county shelter.

Each of the kennels opens with a Dutch door, the top half of which can be pushed open by visitors. Instead of having to ask a volunteer to show you a dog, you can just open the top door and pet the animal and get to know him or her yourself. If you like what you see, you can ask a volunteer and they will lead you out to one of their five specially designed exercise and visiting areas to play with the animal and see whether you like each other. They also have a special room just for puppies and small dogs where the cages aren't floor to ceiling so the dogs feel more free. It was pretty incredible.

Anyway, so I walked in and started peeking into kennels. I think I petted and played with every single dog in the place who didn't have a yellow "Not Yet Available" placard on the front of its kennel. Sometimes they had a card next to their names saying "Adoption Pending" or "No More Applications Are Being Accepted." I didn't care whether they were going home in fifteen minutes - I have years of dog deprivation to make up for and I wanted to take advantage of every furry face.

I ended up visiting with five or six dogs in the exercise area. I was there in absolute heaven for a total of four hours. At the end of my visit, I put in an application with three names on it. They are, in nor particular order:

Rags: She's a teeny tiny long-haired chihuahua mix, white with black patches and spots and brown patches. She's a little timid but very very sweet. Likes butt scratches and lap sitting - preferably at the same time. Probably around 10 pounds, if that.

Sweets: She just arrived from New Orleans. She's a basset hound mix (but not smelly!) with the sweetest disposition you could ever hope for. Very mellow and affectionate and loves other dogs. Her front right paw is twisted so that she walks on the top of it - she has a huge callous on the top of her paw from walking on it. The vet has to evaluate it and decide what they're going to do but I have a feeling they'll amputate the leg. She's probably around 35 pounds.

Bud: Bud literally walked in the door from West Virginia as I was filling out an application for the other two. He looks kind of like a cocker spaniel/dachshund mix. He was a "chain case" - had been chained up outside his whole life. While his transporter was waiting for a shelter attendant to come pick him up, I got down on the floor with him and petted him and told him he'd be okay. He's still intact but the transporter said he was not aggressive at all when he was rescued so I don't think he'll have any over-protective issues. He lived with other dogs and was not aggressive toward them . Technically I couldn't really apply for him since he hadn't been evaluated and hadn't yet had his shots - there is about a ten-day waiting period after a dog first arrives before you can apply for him. But I put his name down anyway because as uncertain as he was, he still managed to crawl up into my lap and wag his tail and give me kisses. I'd say Bud is around 15 pounds.

I dropped off my application and interviewed with an adoption counselor. She told me that T-Bone had to visit with them as well before they could vote on our application so on Sunday, I dragged T-Bone down to the shelter and we visited with Rags and Sweets. He loved Rags, which I knew he would, mostly because she is so small. He said in no uncertain terms that he does not want a three-legged dog but I asked him to meet Sweets anyway. Really of the three of them, she is the most ideal temperament-wise. So he met Sweets and said she was a very nice dog but I think he still doesn't want a three-legged dog. Oh well. I don't really care as long as there is a cold wet nose at the end of this process.

So I have to get a copy of my lease to the rescue or they'll cancel my application. We signed the lease a few weeks ago but still haven't received a copy of the lease signed by our property manager. The leasing office at our complex keeps telling me that they sent it out but I still haven't seen it so I am going over tomorrow to get a copy to fax to the rescue. After that we'll have a home visit and if we're approved, the adoption committee will decide which dog(s) we're eligible for. Wish us luck!