Roscoe

My husband and I rescued Roscoe a couple of years ago. He was at the local rescue agency and we went just to look and see what they had. We were thinking something like a Shetland at the time. As we passed the various dogs they barked and jumped and tried to get our attention in every way possible. I passed by an area that didn’t look like it had any dog in it at all. Thinking this was a little odd as they said they were full, I investigated further to find a sad looking pup, snuggled up against the solid wall of the front part of the cage where you couldn’t see him in passing. He had his head resting on his paws and he wasn’t trying to get anyone’s attention. I truly think he didn’t expect anyone to want him so why should he bother to bark and frolic about like the others. It tugged at my heart but I kept moving.

As we had seen all the dogs, we were going to leave when we were intercepted by an employee who asked us what we were looking for. We told him, and though they didn’t have the breed we wanted, he told us a story about a dog that was very friendly, and needed a good home. “His nose is crooked, and he has a sneer that I think makes him look like Elvis.”The employee described in a forewarning tone. “But I think it just adds character.” Come to find out it was the very dog I’d passed by earlier, and he had a lot of character.

As his door opened he perked up and became excited to see someone paying him some attention. He also seemed weary, like he didn’t want to get his hopes up. We took him outside and spent some time with him, talking with the employee. As we left I felt as though we were leaving our dog behind. Come to find out my husband felt the same way. We went back a couple times and as we were not yet married the agency was not sure about adopting out the dog to us because they didn’t want the dog to come back to them as he’d done a few times before.

I don’t know why his previous owners took him back. He is the most adorable, kind, loving dog. He’s 8 years old and is a true puppy at heart. He doesn’t like thunderstorms, and he loves to chew apart rope toys like nothing I’ve ever seen. In fact you can’t give him anything else because he’s chewed through it in seconds. He doesn’t wreck our furniture or try and chew on things he shouldn’t… He doesn’t always listen, and we can’t let him off leash, but he knows exactly what you are asking of him, and he’ll meet you at the door without fail when you come home. All he gives and wants in return is love.

I have a secret – I’m not a huge dog person. In fact, I’m a cat person all the way… But my husband doesn’t mix well with cats, and sadly, I’m actually allergic (I know, the irony). I love all animals, so I thought I can give being a dog person a shot. I grew up with dogs. It wasn’t anything totally foreign to me. I have to say, Roscoe has found his home for good. Any maybe one day he’ll get a little furry brother for a companion, but the verdict is out if it’ll be another dog or something more of the feline persuasion.