ADOPTED: More Than a Number

A series of numbers are tattooed inside Scout’s long, droopy ears. This was primarily how she was identified at the lab. But then she stepped paw inside our home and was given her forever name—Scout.

My colleague had always wanted to get a female dog and name her after the inquisitive young tomboy from To Kill a Mockingbird. When she took in a male dog, she named him Scout anyway. I hope her Scout Sr. doesn’t mind, but I borrowed his name. It turns out that the name helped find my Scout a home.

A potential adopter was browsing Petfinder looking for a beagle. She told me that as soon as she saw the name Scout, she knew it was meant to be. She had always wanted a dog named Scout. In fact, she wanted a Scout and an Atticus to go along with her current beagle who, although named Gracie, also responds to the nickname Boo. 

Scout (front) and her beagle sister, Gracie

This potential adopter—we’ll call them the Finch family—was quite heartbroken when I told them that our little Scout already had a home visit set up, but I promised to call if things didn’t work out. Well, things didn’t work out. The other potential adopter decided after our home visit and conversation that it wouldn’t be feasible with their schedule to housebreak a research beagle. (Another good example of why home visits are important.)

You can imagine how happy the Finch family was when I called to share this news and ask if they were still interested. We visited their home last night so Scout could meet Gracie (Boo.) It went marvelously, and Scout was adopted as a permanent member of the Finch family.

The dog previously known by the numbers forever marked in her ears will now forever be known as Scout. She’ll be surrounded by love and given everything a dog deserves—Scout’s honor. 

ADOPTED: Karina for the Win!

In late February, a few days after we took Karina in, one of my colleagues popped into my cubicle and stated bluntly, "You need a win." (I think this was around the time that Charlie Sheen was walking around mumbling things about winning.) Nevertheless, she was totally right. I was buried in school work and work work, and I was still feeling badly about Jack and the switcheroo.

I thought that this win would come quickly—a week, a month at most. After all, Karina is a ready-made dog. Crate-trained, housebroken, basic commands. Just open the door, and let her in. Sure, she isn't great with cats or other dogs, but she is just a doll. She makes the case for walking into a shelter/adoption event and saying, "Give me a dog with a heart of gold. I don't care how much she weighs, what color her fur is, how old she is, or how many teeth she is missing. Give me the sweetest dog you have."

Well, 14 weeks later, we got our win. A very nice woman contacted us about Rina this week. She has a unique situation in that she can bring a dog to work with her. (How jealous am I?) As such, she needs a housebroken dog that is friendly with people, but can settle down when it's time to work.


Does she like car rides?, she asked. I have a bit of a drive to work every day.
Without a doubt, I answered. She stands by my car on our morning walks in hopes she can hop in.

Is Karina a good co-worker?, she asked. 

Unequivocally yes, I replied. I work from home on occasion and she's a better co-worker than some humans. 

She came to adoption day today with her boyfriend to meet Karina. She asked all of the right questions and more. She wasn't scared by Karina's medical history with heartworm; she understood it meant being vigilant about preventative for the rest of her life. She loved that Karina is a BBD (she had a 100 pound Rottweiler previously), and she loved Karina's one white toe. She loved everything we have come to love. And this is only the beginning of their love story.

After talking it over with her boyfriend, she came up to me and said, "She's the one." Her eyes filled with tears, and so did mine.

We'll do a home visit and drop Karina off at her forever home on Friday night. Our good-byes will be bittersweet (and I'm sure I'll cry.) Karina will always hold a special place in our hearts because she really could have been a dog we kept. But I'm glad we held out for her upgrade, as Jen at Inu Baka calls it. We simply couldn't imagine a better home for her.

Win for Karina's new family.
Win for us and the rescue.
Win for Karina.

The Art and Science of Home Visits

When I told my mom I was going on a home visit with Karina on Sunday, she recalled being on the receiving end of these rites of passage. A rescue came to "check us out" in process of adopting the family golden retriever, Abby. At the time, my mom thought the rescue’s procedures were a bit invasive.

This is my post to convince her (and others) otherwise.

Home visits usually happen after an application has been put in for a dog and we believe it could be a good match. The home visit is not a white-glove inspection. It’s not for the rescue’s volunteers to gossip about the size of your home or your interior decorating or how much money you make. After all, these things are of little value to us. In our own home, our couch has turned into a giant wee-wee pad, our comforter has been chewed to pieces, and our carpet has more vomit stains than I care to think about.

The point of a home visit is to make sure that the dog and the people will both be safe and comfortable in the living environment. We look to see that the dog interacts with all family members—human, canine, feline—in a positive way. We look to see that there are no utterly apparent dangers that could pose harm to the dog. For dogs with special requirements, such as a fenced-in yard, we make sure that their needs will be met.

On Sunday, I drove out to Pennsylvania to do a home visit with Karina and her old foster mom. The family was extremely nice; they were true "dog people." Karina, while a bit jumpy and curious, was a doll with all of the family members. When they let Karina out into the fenced-in back yard, I was so busy thinking about how much she would just love being able to run around for hours. Then her old foster mom, who has years of rescue experience, pointed to the vertical slits in the 4-foot fence. Because we know (and the family knew) that Karina has issues with other dogs, she suggested that the family ask their neighbors to let their dogs out so Karina could meet them through the fence.

Despite a mildly positive initial introduction, Karina went bonkers on one of the dogs. And the slits in the fence were so wide that the dogs could stick their muzzles through and potentially do damage to each other’s faces. And, being that it’s a 4-foot fence, we believe that Karina could also jump it in pursuit.

Before even meeting Karina at adoption day, we told the family she was dog selective. They said it would be fine because they are a one-dog family and don’t frequent the dog run. But at the home visit, the family saw the reality of her behaviors in their own background. With a teenager who would be letting Karina in and out most days, they didn’t feel comfortable putting their child, Karina, or the other dog in that situation. And I don’t blame them. The family decided not to adopt Karina.

And this is what the home visit is for. It’s the most accurate indicator of what life will be like if you adopt the dog.

It’s one thing to buy a cute puppy at the pet store; the employees could probably care less if your home has dangling electrical wires or if you're hoarding dozens of animals. All they likely care about is commission. But when you’ve poured your blood, sweat, and tears into a dog, as Karina’s old foster mom has done with her, you need to find a really good match. So while it may be tempting to jump at “any” home, you have to face the reality that not every home will be perfect for every dog.  

I’m 110% confident that family will find the perfect dog to fit into their home. Karina was just not it. 

Home Visit Advice?

Great news—a wonderful family has expressed interest in adopting Jack! They came to meet him at adoption day yesterday, along with their current border collie.

We're scheduled to do a home visit tomorrow to see how Jack and the other dog get along at the potential adopter's house. We have limited insight as to how Jack does with other dogs since he's an "only dog" at our place. The shelter told us that he's good with all dogs, but he has sometimes been barky with other dogs at adoption days. It's not really an authentic environment to judge behavior—on leash with dozens of other dogs barking, people all around, etc.

Some of the volunteers at the rescue gave us good advice for the home visit. Have the dogs meet on neutral territory like the sidewalk. Then take the dogs to the backyard before letting them off leash to see how they do together. The last step should be going in to the house.

Do you have any more advice for home visits? We think this family would be a great fit for him, so we want him to succeed!