This is Windchaser. But as Jen and I have decided, we’ll keep the name as such, officially, but frankly, we’re just going to call him Chase. He is half Maltese and half Shih Tzu. He is our new dog.
Since the unfortunate departures of the other two dogs back in October and December, the house has been a little on the quiet side. Now I’ll be the first to admit that there was a sense of liberation at not feeling the obligation that either one of us needed to be home as soon as possible, but there was also a void left behind by having a home with zero dogs in it.
Chase is a rescue from the Atlanta Humane Society. Apparently, his previous history is having been owned by a hoarder in Alabama. Based on his timid behavior and reluctance to walk on a leash, it’s evident that there was a lot of neglect and lacking in human contact in his life. But amazingly, the way he warms up and interacts with the cats of the house, it’s obvious he’s right at home with other animals. It doesn’t take a genius to know what kind of upbringing Chase had.
Admittedly, I was unaware of how big the void was until the seed of having another dog was planted in my head. The more I thought about it, the more I missed having a dog. The more I looked and was shown dogs up for adoption, the more my heart broke at the thought of perfectly adequate dogs sitting in kennels with ticking clocks above them. Before I knew it, the last few days were spent looking around for potential dogs.
Rescuing a dog like Chase is way superior of a choice than simply buying a dog from a breeder; I wouldn’t learn to love a dog bred and raised properly any less than a rescue, but with a rescue, I genuinely feel like I’m doing something better, by rescuing a dog from eventual euthanasia, and giving it a better life. From the moment the paperwork was done, his life can only get better, with true, willing owners.
Chase may look like a puppy, but he is estimated to be around six years old. Dogs with some years on them are harder to adopt out, since so many people want the innocence and cuteness of puppies. Frankly, I didn’t really care about the age, I just want some good canine companionship.
So, we’re back to the world of being tethered to the house. Lingering at the gym, trivia nights, and baseball games will have to be considering there’s a dog at the house that could have accidents if left alone for way too long. Weekend trips aren’t necessarily possible without someone house-sitting or someone to watch over a dog at their place.
But the way Chase follows myself and Jen around the house already, despite his initial hesitation, the pitter-pat sound of a dog trotting around, exploring his new abode, and the light wagging of a pleased tail, disregards all those trite details. The most incredible thing about Chase so far is the fact that he’s so cognitive of the television; sure I have a big screen and all, but the way he looks up and stares at the screen, and actually reacts to sudden loud sounds that comes from it is kind of fascinating. Makes me wonder what else was going on in that hoarder’s house in his old life.
