Georgia's On My Mind

Hey folks, sorry I've been a little m.i.a., but you see, time seems to pass so quickly...especially when you are in LOVE...

Yes, and don't worry, Joe is well aware. In fact, he practically introduced us.

Ok, I'll leave the euphemism behind and just come out with it....

Meet Georgia- or at least for now, Coco. And we met last Sunday on a fateful trip to the SPCA in Baltimore. But that's no way to tell a story, so let me paint the picture of this Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romantic comedy (but much cuter and with less sappy dialogue).

I've been gunning for a dog for as long as I can remember. We had our family dog, Abby, when I was a kid, and after she passed on and we all left home I was determined to find a connection to another furbuddy. I waited patiently through four years of college and then I was too busy trying to piece a life together for myself afterwards that I knew there was no way I could take on a dog.

Then when Joe and I came together, I reopened the "Dog Files". Joe was definitely the more level-headed one, while I was just like a woman desperate for a child...I took notice of every dog that passed by, watched anything about dogs on TV, even sometimes found myself wandering into PetsMarts to look at the leashes and food bowls. I was a woman possessed. Fortunately Joe kept me sane and grounded. He insisted we wait till we had a yard- a fair compromise.

So a few weeks ago, when we happened to find the townhouse (complete with hard wood, a massive yard, even a Doggy Door!) I took it as a sign. This would be where we'd bring home a wriggly-bundle of joy. We signed the lease, and the search was on.

Now I had been looking at Petfinder for months now, so as soon as Joe said he was ready I passed along any dogs that met our criteria: female, a year old or less, smallish, quiet, and sweet. It wasn't long before I had clogged his email full of dogs but surprisingly few of those dogs were within an hour's drive. But when we found ourselves with nothing to do on a Sunday...in the summer (who has nothing to do on a Sunday in the summer? Especially Joe. Another sign??), we decided to visit the Baltimore SPCA.

We walked into the SPCA, and once we figured out how to make our way to the back, we walked into the kennels. I'm not gonna lie, you need to have some resilience when you walk into those places. As happy as they try to make, you still walk in and feel a little heartbroken and guilty. We walked among all these pit bulls, some looking hopeful and playful, others that looked broken and desperate. I wondered if all places in the country have as much of a surplus of pit bulls as we do here in Baltimore. And really, it is so sad that these dogs get such a bad rep- they're not mean or bad dogs, they just need to be treated well. I briefly considered suggesting we adopt one of those, but their size and energy level would honestly be too much for us.

As I looked around Joe went over to another dog and knelt down. It was this little plucky dog with a curly-ish tail and huge bat ears. She tucked her ears back, licked Joe's hand excitedly and wagged her tail so hard her butt started shaking. I joined him and she also began licking my hand adorably. I tried to remember everything I read about how to choose the right kind of dog, especially a more submissive type. Her ears were back and she seemed to cower a bit. Not terribly, but definitely showing the signs I wanted.

I stood up to look at her file hung outside her cage. Name: Coco. Age: 6 Mos. Breed: Dachshund cross. She was hitting all the right marks. I read her meager background and she had been assessed and dubbed a "Waltzing Matilda". I had no idea what that meant so while Joe kept her company I went to look for a volunteer/employee to ask if we could take her out. While I waited for one to become available I noticed where we had come in there was a sign describing the three levels they use to categorize. Underneath the one titled "Waltzing Matilda" read that the dogs in this category are perfect snuggle-buddies: low energy, yet still playful and sweet. This dog was getting better and better.

Finally we spoke to a woman who got the dog and took her out to meet us. We watched how Coco managed on a leash and then the woman opened the wide fenced area to let her play and get to know us. Every now and then I would get down to see if she would come to me, and happily she did a bit. She let me pet her and get near her, and remained very submissive. Joe tried to see how she'd interact with the ball but for the most part, Coco didn't seem too interested. Then another volunteer brought out another dog and led it to the area directly next to ours. We watched to see how she handled being near other dogs, and again, I was relieved to see her show signs of playfulness and not aggression.

I was getting sold by the minute, and so I began asking the woman what kind of "hold" program they did. I was disappointed when she informed us that they usually only hold a dog for a day (SOMETIMES 48 hours).

"And," she continued, "these little dogs usually go fast. Chances are she won't be here very long."

Joe and I looked at each other. Our current apartment is small as it is, but we still needed to get all the packing done. We didn't think there was any way we could take her yet.

Sadly, we left her there. And I became even sadder when we visited two other shelters and didn't find a dog that even came close to what we needed. Joe tried to keep my spirits up, but all I could think of was that little dog with the curly tail.

I promised I'd stop bringing it up, and on Wednesday when I looked at the SPCA website and didn't see her there, I figured we had missed our chance.

And then, yesterday, for some reason, I checked out the website one more time...and there she was, as happy and funny-looking as she was when we first saw her. I texted Joe immediately and when I got home we discussed that it must be fate.

We agreed that today, after work, we would triumphantly return and take our little lady home.

Of course, this is pending she is still there. So wish us luck!