Friday, June 20, 2008

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Swim

There we were at the local animal shelter. The kill facility I mentioned yesterday.

My five-year-old fell in love with little white Jack Russel terrier mix. He was a bit older than what we were looking for, but he was a calm little dog that had already been neutered, and seemed to click really well with both my boys. So I went up to the desk to get some more information and they informed me he'd already been adopted. Now we'd been there only the day before and this particular dog had not been there so he'd came in and been claimed in record time.

I trudged back out to the kennels to deliver the bad news. No tragic news. Tears ensued and I felt horrible for both of my boys. After all the looking we finally find a dog we like and we are too late.

The tears continued to flow as we drove away. Feeling bad I promised we'd look even harder. So I got on th phone and starting calling animal shelters in surrounding towns. All the calls led to one lead. We looked at a picture on the internet, decided to go see the puppy for ourselves and took off for Borger, Texas which is about 45 miles northeast of Amarillo. This is what we found ...


Per a decree from my five-year-old son his name is Sharky. He's a ten week old dachshund mix and the newest member of the Erwin family.

31 comments:

Spy Scribbler said...

Oh. My. Gawd. He is The Cutest. Everyone's getting puppies. I keep saying this, but I am this close to going and getting one.

CamiKaos said...

so freaking cute!!!!!

Nicole said...

Travis -
Very precious puppy! We too "saved" our new puppies the end of January. I'm glad your boys found one!!!

Nicole

Nicole said...

Travis - very precious puppy! I'm glad the boys are happy! Nicole

Alyssa Goodnight said...

Awww...he's adorable. I'm sure you'll love him--we are really enjoying our new puppy.

Jenster said...

So cute!! And Sharky is the perfect name.

Anonymous said...

What a sweet, gentle little face, congrats!

Tawnya Shields said...

Sharky is absolutely adorable. What a sweetie. Pound puppies make the best friends in the whole world. :o)

Gregory Anderson said...

ODE TO UNCLE TRAVIS

Hi my name is Sharky
But y'all can just call me Shark
I would say Hi back to you
But I don't know how to bark

I'd like to thank the Erwin family
For saving me from an untimely death
I will always remember their kindness
Every time I take a breath

I really hope the boys like me
I will learn to fetch, heel, and roll
And I hope Uncle Travis doesn't get mad
When I pee on his fishing pole

Yes I'll do some bad things
Like digging under the fence barrier
I just hope they don't get any crazy ideas
Like trading me for a freakin' Terrier.

I'm ready for a life of fun
But it's important that we all agree
There will never be mention of the word
C-A-S-T-R-A-T-E

Travis Cody said...

He's cute!

Bubblewench said...

Welcome home Sharky! I think you'll be loved beyond puppy belief!

So darn cute!

preTzel said...

Packsaddle - Love the Ode. :)

Travis: That dog is adorable! Double adorable and it makes me yearn for a puppy. Alas, my bitch cat will only slit its throat and eat it over a roasting fire. (Yes, she's that bitchy. She doesn't touch the Sheltie because the Sheltie gives as good as she gets.)

Sharky is a perfect name for him. And honestly? You'll be glad you didn't get that JR Terrier. They are HYPER. We had one and it never stopped being so hyper. Drove me nuts. The youngest of my boys used to cry all the time because that damn dog thought that since Baby was crawling that made him a chew toy. GRRR! That dog has since passed on and I cried when he did (dumb dog ran out in the street and a car hit him.)

To many wonderful years for you, your boys, and Sharky!

Charles Gramlich said...

Now that's a cutie. Congrats. I bet this will be the perfect dog for your little ones. And it's good that he's younger and will grow with them.

Dizzy Ms. Lizzy said...

He has such a sweet face! He is going to be such a nice addition to your family!

We went to the Animal Protective League in a city about 40 miles from us to get our last kittycat. We found her on Petfinder.com, and of course had to follow on that lead . . . and she has been a member of our family for 6 months now. We rescued her big brother from a church parking lot when he was only 2 months old, and he has been part of our family for 8 years now.

LOVE my furbabies!

Barbara Martin said...

I prayed for you to find a dachsie, even a cross. They are the cutest dogs when puppies (and adults too). Just watch their diet to keep their weight down to avoid any back problems. Congrats!

Thank goodness your boys have the summer off to help with the dog walking and learning to take care of a puppy. By fall, you will have a nicely socialized pup.

Barbara Martin said...

Forgot to mention, Travis, dachshunds are hounds...and hounds can be stubborn. Patience and repetition will help with the training.

yellowdoggranny said...

i have a cat..we had a nice discussion about me getting a puppy...she told me she'd eat it...but i really want a dog..just so i can name it......"Dude"...
so the Dude could abide..

Patti said...

sharky erwin....sounds like a pool hustler. good job.

Stephen Parrish said...

Well done Travis.

j said...

Sharky is pretty dang cute.

Unknown said...

He's absolutely adorable...with just a hint of mischief in his eyes!

Erica Orloff said...

Cutest dog ever! (except for mine).

HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!
E

Josephine Damian said...

Awwww... what a sweet little face.

Glad you got a mix. Sure, the kids are happy but I notice you did not say how the other dog is doing with the new addition.....

Beatrice, Bea, Bibi--That's me! said...

Cute, cute CUTE! Tell Jennifer and the boys hi for me.
Bea

Sizzle said...

Adorable! Great name, too.

Penelope said...

Too cute.

My brother got a puppy yesterday. His is a pug named Chuck.

Karen

Lyzzydee said...

He is gorgeous!!! Our dog Hunny, is a rescue dog and we suffered the same fate as you whikle trying to find our pet, everytime we found one they were already adopted and waiting to go to their new home, we had just about given up when fate stepped in. The rescue placed closed at 4.30 and is about 25 minutes from home, the plan was to go as soon as the school bus dropped Carl home. On the day we planned the bus was late and we couldn't go, many tears and tantrums from both of the kids and we promised to go the next open day in two days time. We rolled up two days later and there she was, Hunny our dog, if we had made the journey two days earlier we wouldn't have had her as she had been reserved by a family that wasn't telling the shelter the whole truth they refused to let her go to their home!!! So Sharky was meant to be yours!!!! Have fun

WordVixen said...

That is an absolutely adorable pup! Congrats. :)

Lisa said...

What a face! And good on you for rescuing him. I'm always happy when I hear someone's new pet is a rescue animal and not from some puppy mill somewhere. You'll receive mucho good karma for this mitzvah (could I mix up any more religious references?)

Anonymous said...

Adorable! I swear that puppy has a little grin on. Too cute.

Anonymous said...

He's adorable and jimminy crickets, it's a small world. i live in Va and my mom lives in Borger!