Our Acreage Has Grown by Four Feet

Meet Shiloh.


He is the first animal of the four-legged variety to join our little "farm." We got him from the S.P.C.A. on Thursday.

I first went in on Tuesday, just before closing time. There wasn't time to really spend with any of the animals, but I asked the gal helping out there which dogs were at least two years old. She said she would ask, and then told us that "any of these dogs here would work, except that one, who isn't good with kids."

Shiloh's cute face caught my eye. Jude and I both thought he looked like a puppy, but after being told that he was over two, I shrugged. Our dog Jenna retained a very "puppy-ish" look well past two, so I thought this might be another example like that.

Wednesday we came back specifically to learn more about this cute little brown dog. Like the day before, while all the other dogs were barking and carrying on at our presence, he simply looked at us, all alertness. We took him for a walk, and he was energetic, but still manageable. We took a few photos to show Jason, and knew that if he said it was okay, this would be the dog we took home, despite the fact that the young guy who was volunteering had now reduced his age to a year! Oh, well, I thought. At least he won't have much "puppy time" left.

The next morning, after a trip to get dog food, we went and "adopted" our new boy. As the administrator was filling out the paperwork, she had Jabin pick a day in December to serve as his birthday.

"December?" I asked.

Hmmph. Eight months. So much for an adult dog who won't chew on everything. Good thing he is to be an outside dog only!

So far, he has worked out really well. He has not shown any sign of wanting to leave the yard--we tie him up at night, since we are not sleeping there, because we don't want him to run off after the wildlife or to come looking for us. He is a little shy of Jason, and we wonder if he may have been abused by a male before the S.P.C.A. got him as a stray. He sure has glommed on to me, though. And he stays with the boys while they are playing in the yard, for the most part (if he isn't with them, he is usually resting close to the trailer door, where I am working). He isn't keen about loud noises, and the only time I have heard him bark has been when there is a gun report echoing from the shooting range across the road, or when a vehicle has driven in. He isn't fond of the generator we are currently using to run the chop saw, either.

However, the first night, I spent about a half-hour with him on leash, and by the end he was starting to get the hang of "down" and "heel." He seems intelligent, and really hasn't chewed anything yet, although he's had opportunity. His biggest bad habit seems to be that he is a bit of a kleptomaniac! He absconded with Jason's tape measure yesterday, and has tried to do the same with several other tools!

So, not the perfect dog... but definitely lots of potential! All in all, I think Shiloh will end up being a good addition to our crew, as long as we work with him. I guess I don't mind getting a puppy that much after all. And really, who could resist this cute face?

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Generation Gap