Dougal!

Last weekend Kristi and I adopted our first dog together, a 3ish year old Shih-Tzu we've named Dougal. We've wanted to adopt a dog for many years, but the situation has never been quite right. We decided that the time was right and set about looking up listings on petfinder.com. 

The dog that caught our eye was not long rescued from a farm where it appeared that he had been abandoned. He was currently being fostered by a local volunteer for the SPCA, and the organization has an adoption drive each Saturday at our local PetCo. So, after filling out an application, we met with Coco, as he was temporarily known, at the store and got to know him.

After some petting and treat giving we came to the conclusion that he was perfect for us. We brought him home that afternoon, after much supply shopping, and let him get familiar with his surroundings. For the first day or two he was quiet, very quiet in fact, and we were concerned that he was going to be too sedate for us. However, he has become more and more settled with each passing day and his personality is starting to shine through. When in our apartment he still likes to sleep predominantly, but he really looks forward to going for his walks, and he likes to play with his toy raccoon, too.

On Monday evening we had friends over to watch the BCS championship game, and despite meeting a dozen new people at once, Dougal was very well behaved and very patient with everyone that met him. We can't wait to go on adventures with him and share our lives together.

Here are a few pictures from the last week:

 This is his toy raccoon. It was a gift from Tricia at Christmas, before we actually had a dog. Fortunately he loves to chase it around the apartment!

This picture was taken outside the arb at UC Davis. It was a cool day, but the sky was blue and the sun was out, so it was a lovely day for a walk.

By far Dougal's most distinctive feature is his huge ears. For this reason I think that as well as Shih-Tzu he is also part Spaniel.

 This is Dougal's default relaxation pose. Having his belly tickled is his absolute favorite!

Currently reading: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Can't stop watching: Homeland