I have some very happy news. Jason and I are the proud parents of a sweet new baby!
And by baby I mean adorable dog. 🙂
We have been wanting a dog for a LONG time, but our previous landlord didn’t allow pets. Now that we’ve moved into a dog-friendly area, there was nothing holding us back! Jason’s birthday was this past Saturday, and after bar review class we made a quick trip to Atlanta Pet Rescue, a local no-kill shelter for cats and dogs.
I had seen our pup online before visiting and fell in love. But we wanted to go and look at all the dogs first before making any decisions. When we got to the shelter there were dozens of dogs in enclosures, jumping all over the place and barking at every person and dog to pass by. And then there was one little guy, silent and snuggled up in a ball in the corner amidst the noise and chaos. We observed him for a few minutes and were just amazed at his level of calm and contentment. A little while later we were being interviewed by an adoption counselor, and meeting little Bodie (that’s the name the shelter gave him) for the first time. It didn’t take long for us to fall head over heels. How could you not? He’s so darn cute!
This little dude was picked up by animal control and then given to the shelter last year. A family adopted him several months ago, but had to return him to the shelter a few weeks ago. I can’t imagine what he’s gone through, but I know that what he needs is just a permanent place to be loved and cared for. And that’s exactly what we’re going to give him.
Since he’s a true rescue, we don’t know his exact breed. The shelter guessed corgi blend, and we’re thinking that he’s probably a mix between Corgi and Chihuahua. He’s really small, which is exactly what we wanted.
It was so exciting taking him home. We named him Cynewulf (pronounced KIN-UH-WOOLF), after a great Anglo-Saxon poet that Jason and I studied together back in college. The name (if I remember correctly, but it’s been a long time since I last took Anglo-Saxon) means royal/kingly wolf. He looks more like a fox though!
We loved getting him shiny new tags with his new name. Such a happy day.
I’m sure that every dog owner says this about their pet, but this dog is truly amazing. He is completely house trained and leash trained and has some of the best house manners I’ve ever seen in a dog. I’ve never owned a pup, but I’ve walked dogs and done pettsitting, and this dog is better behaved than any I’ve ever taken care of. He NEVER barks (literally, never, we’ve only heard one very quiet bark this whole time), never jumps, never nips, never humps…nothing. He’s pretty much a dream, which is what the volunteers at the shelter said about him. And he is SO warm and loving. It takes him about 5 seconds to warm up to a new person before he’s snuggling up with them. Snuggling is his favorite activity.
The only challenge we’ve had with Cynewulf is getting him to accept his crate. The shelter said he was crate trained, but when we brought him home it was obvious that he suffers from some major separation anxiety. He gets a little freaked out if I even walk into the other room. I don’t really blame him considering that he’s 7 years old and never had a permanent home! I would be anxious, too. Once he checks it out and sees that we’re not leaving, he’s fine. But the one time that we did crate him and leave, he whined and cried so much! It was so hard to leave him like that, but we got advice that we shouldn’t reward his whining by coming back inside or letting him out. Since then we’ve been trying to make him happy with his crate again, leaving the door open and giving him treats in the crate. So far, he much prefers the couch. 🙂
I’m so glad that we got Cynewulf just when we did. I’m sure some people are wondering why we got a new dog in the middle of studying for the bar exam, and the answer to that is that we got a new dog because we are studying for the bar exam! Animals are such wonderful companions, especially in stressful times, and having him around will force us to get fresh air to walk him around. He really is a lap dog, so he’s completely content to snuggle on the sofa for hours while we study. Doesn’t get much better than that.
If any dog owners have tips on things I should know, please comment! He’s a very easy dog but we are newbies so any advice is appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
-Lauren
10 Responses
Gesci
So many congratulations!! Cynewulf is just adorable (and totally looks like a fox!)! I’m pretty sure my good friends’ beagle is from Atlanta Pet Rescue- or one of the other rescues with those words in a different order!
We’ve got two pooches- Sloan will be ten in August and Max turned eight in March. We’ve had both since they were puppies. Honestly though, it sounds like you’re headed in the right direction! Crate training is tricky, and to be honest, not all dogs take to it. We crate trained both of ours as puppies, which came in very handy when we moved to England and back! Perhaps if you put a blanket over the crate so it’s more like his private den? A foster dog we had a few years ago really liked that, and it helped crate train her. And another option is to shut him in it for short lengths of time (ten minutes, fifteen, twenty) with you nearby, but ignoring him. If you can stand to read through his potential whining, that would work. Just so he knows the crate doesn’t always mean you’re leaving and that you’re not scared of it- if you’re calm, he’s more likely to mirror that.
Good luck, though- and I can’t wait to see lots of pictures of him!!
Lauren
Thanks so much for the tips!! I’ll try them!
Athena R
Such a cute fur baby!
Jamie @ A Healthy J.D.
So so so cute! Congratulations 🙂 First thing I said out loud when I saw these pictures – he looks like a fox! Second thing – he is totally a corgi mix, probably chihuahua, heh. As an owner of a corgi mix I will warn you, they are smart dogs…too smart for their own good at times. Our Chloe is also a rescue and we believe a corgi/German SHepherd mix. She is quite the handful and always has been, she loves to herd (us, the other dog, the baby, our house guests) and she thinks she’s a little human.
Advise wise I’d say just make sure you know what kind of relationship you want to establish with your dog and keep in mind any future kiddos you and the husband might want. We treat our dogs like babies and they run our house. It was hard getting them used to our actual baby and I notice the lack of boundaries we failed to set when they were puppies. But I still love them and don’t regret the late night in bed snuggles 🙂
As for the crate, I second everything the above poster suggested. If all else fails they do make plastic, cave like crates that some dogs prefer. Our other dog broke three wire crates before we finally threw in the towel and bought her a plastic crate and she loves it.
Good luck and enjoy the little guy!
Monique
Congrats! He definitely has Corgi ears.
I’m so glad he finally has a home with you and Jason. 🙂
Nicole @ Treasure Tromp
what a cutie!!
Nala
Awww!! Congratulations on your new addition – he is just too adorable!!! I think Cynewulf is just a perfect name. I know we like naming our dogs after famous or heroes from the past too =) After having a couple of small dogs one of the things I would recommend is spend as much time as you can with him – especially since he has had separation anxiety. Whenever possible take him with you wherever you go at least for the first few weeks he is with you. For crate training, have you thought of maybe putting his crate in your room or in another room and putting him in it when it’s bedtime and then just sit with him and pat him assuring him of your presence. And then when we does sleep you can always sneak away. Of course during the first few nights he may get up a few minutes after you leave , but as the nights go on and as you do this often soon he will learn to stay in the crate and know it’s not a bad place and you will always be nearby. That’s how we trained our Scottish Terrier puppy who really didn’t want to sleep in his crate or far away from us. I hope you have a great time studying with your new family member! He is too cute =)
Lee
Aww. Does he get along with other dogs? We can have a playdate!
Lauren
YES we should! In his previous home he lived with another dog, and it seems like he really misses dog interaction. I bet he would get along great with Murphy!
Saminacooks
Congrats on your new furbaby!! My puppy Hiro is also from a shelter and what you described about separation anxiety fit him perfectly. It took him a year to feel comfortable and after that he actually started playing with a toy. He is very quiet still but every now and then he displays some normal dog behaviors 🙂 Mainly he loves to cuddle. I hope you post more about your dog and good luck with your Bar exams!