Meet Skeeter

A few years ago, maybe three or so, I was at my local gas station when I saw a dog that just captured my heart. It was love at first sight. He was a little red Min Pin (Miniature Pincher) and he was so bright-eyed and perky that I immediately thought to myself, "that's my dog." He was following a man when he ran over to say hello. I knelt down to pet him and asked the man what kind of dog it was. He replied he didn't know, that it wasn't his dog. He said that it was a stray that, according to the girl inside, had been at the station for about three days. The station was on a busy road and there was no doubt that this dog wouldn't last long there so I took him with me. He had a collar, but no tag. A pretty sure sign of a dumped dog. After checking with all of the shelters and local veterinarians and driving the neighborhood for a week with an eye out for "lost dog" signs and drawing a blank, I again said to myself, with a smile in my eye, "That's my dog." I named him Scooter and I have never loved an animal as much in my life. He was my buddy and accompanied me everywhere. His winning personality made friends with everyone he met and he loved to play. Scooter didn't sleep on the bed, he slept "in" the bed. He would jump up on the bed and burrow his way down to your feet and curl up there. He truly brightened my life and made me laugh every day. As you can tell, this story is in the past tense, as Scooter was run over and killed, in his own yard, by the newspaper delivery boy. In this case, a woman in a pick-up. It really wasn't all her fault, it was dark, the drive is a long narrow lane, my wife had just let him out for his morning pee and, well, I could never break him of chasing cars, particularly ones that come down the drive, but dammit, she drives too fast and I had previously told her to slow down! That was about a year ago. I was devastated. He died in my arms. I cried for days. I still do, whenever I think of him. There are tears in my eyes as I write this. Then, a little while back brother Punch published a post about an abusive shelter and it made my heart ache. I have kind of had an eye out for another MinPin but wasn't sure the time was right. I didn't want to get one from a breeder so I've looked at MinPin rescue and at the local shelters, but the one I found at rescue was about 200 miles from me and they wanted $300 in fees, money I just don't have right now. I found a beautiful black and tan at the Humane Society but he was part of a matched pair and they wouldn't let just one go, you had to adopt them both. We already have another dog, my wife's Dalmatian, and I don't want three. That's just too much. But Punch's post pushed me over the edge. I went online to check Animal Rescue and found a perky looking Manchester Terrier mix-breed. I went to see him. It was a very emotional experience. Not the shelter, it was modern and clean and the staff spent time with each animal, I was really impressed, no, it was me. I had a deep sense of guilt that I was betraying Scooter, and I had to fight back the tears. I nearly turned around in the parking lot but forced myself on, almost as if I was driven. I guess I was driven. I needed a catharsis. Knowing I probably couldn't walk away from the dog once I saw him, I went in. I was right, although he didn't immediately capture my heart like Scooter. He wasn't nearly as perky and engaging, but he was sick. He had been a stray. Animal Control picked him up off the street. He was skinny and had a bad cough. He also has early-stage heart worms. I had to seriously ask myself if I was willing to take this on. But I did. The shelter staff could not have been more friendly or efficient. They had neutered the dog, wormed him and implanted a micro chip. Additionally, they paid for a free month of pet insurance and gave me a bag of good dog food. On the way home he perked up and stuck his head out of the window. But it was then that I noticed how bad his cough really was. I stopped at my Vet's office. She checked him out, gave him the once over like an objective appraiser... this is what you're dealing with. We've got to give him antibiotics for the cough, fatten him up, and then we can treat the heart worms at a cost of $599. The Vet was a little upset that the City had adopted out a dog with heart worms. She said that they should have treated the dog prior to adoption. However, the City will pay for the treatment and they feel that the dog would get much better care for this strenuous treatment in a loving home than at the shelter. The policy makes sense to me. I called my wife and we decided to keep him. I bought the drugs for the cough and went home to introduce the boy to his new family. After about a week of treatment, the cough went away and the boy perked up considerably. Three weeks on, he's put on some weight, his coat is shiny and his terrier personality is shinning through. Now, what to name him? After going through the usual routine of searching the internet for dog names, the garden variety of sophisticated famous person list, etc., I decided to name him the name I had as a toss-up for Scooter. A name that suits his personality. He buzzes around the house like a... Skeeter. I have begun taking him on hikes in the local preservation areas and he's turned out to be a great walking companion. He stays within sight and comes when I call him. He's really smart, he's house broken and already knows his name. This morning we went for a walk in the Cedar Point Preserve. I thought you might enjoy the pictures.