Well, I have no clue how to start this off, so here it goes. My name is Mackenzie, and I am the proud owner of a Carolina Dog (AKA: Dixie Dingo, American Dingo, Yaller dog) named Peanut. Admittedly, I will likely never know for sure if Peanut is a true Carolina dog, as there are (currently) no genetic tests available. That being said, Peanut does show nearly all the physical and personality traits of a Carolina Dog, so that’s what I’m going with!
I wanted to start this blog primarily to help me track all of the milestones Peanut and I achieve together. I want there to be a way for me to look back and see how far we’ve come as a team and what I’ve learned from our adventures together. If other people take enjoyment of these posts, then, that’s awesome!
My goal at the moment, is to post at least once every other week. Fair warning, I’ll likely forget… I’m also trying to improve my long term time management skills, so I hope you (and I) will bear with me! Anyway, let me start with a bit of background on Peanut and how we became a family!
I first heard about Peanut in late August of 2014. I had been volunteering with a rescue organization in NoVA and had mentioned starting to seriously look for a dog. I had told the rescue that I was looking for a medium size dog with average to high energy, and the conformation and intelligence to do agility. One of the longtime volunteers came back with a sheet of paper and a picture of a red-brown dog with a pair of big “bat ears” and lovely brown eyes. They listed her mix as German Shepherd and Lab and told me that she did have some fear and anxiety issues. Looking back, it’s funny, the anxiety and fear issues were not what concerned me, what concerned me was her size. No German Shepherd Lab mix I had ever seen was under the 50lb weight limit that my apartment had. They gave me a few other options and suggested that I look around the other rescues, since one dog rescued from anywhere meant one more dog that could be pulled from a kill shelter. Looking around didn’t really work though, I couldn’t get my mind off of that red dog with the soulful brown eyes and giant ears...
Peanut’s Petfinder.com picture, I would later learn that her pink nose was just hidden “Snow Nose”
I kept asking for more information about Peanut, and I soon learned that she had been pulled from a West Virginia kill shelter at 12 weeks old, and was adopted out at 7 months old. She was returned by her first family at 1 ½ years old for being “violent, vicious, and destructive”. Which, turns out, was just fear and anxiety. By early October, 2014, I had realized that I wasn’t going to get that red dog out of my head until I met her, and organized a meet and greet for October 12th.
Finally the day came! After several timing mishaps and location changes, I turned onto a gravel road and wound through the wooded drive to the house where Peanut was located. I parked the car and chatted with the volunteer who reminded me that if it wasn’t the right fit, I was under no obligation to take her. I waited on a retaining wall while they went and got Peanut. I had been warned that she would take a few minutes to warm up to me so I wasn’t expecting much in the way of a greeting. After what seemed like an eternity, I saw a pair of ears bob up over the hill with the poor volunteer floundering behind, it turns out that Peanut had some gas in the tank! She got to the gravel of the parking area, stopped, and let out her ‘big dog bark’. I turned sideways, looked down, knelt, and put my hand out for her. Looking down meant that I didn’t see her about to lick my face until it was too late! So much for the ‘aloof’ and ‘suspicious’ dog! Peanut was happy to sit on my feet, give kisses, and show off how good her ‘sit’ and ‘down’ were! I smiled at the volunteer and said “I’ll take her! She’s perfect!”. The volunteer didn’t seem to be expecting that, and was a bit speechless! What really sealed the deal was Peanut jumping into my car and refusing to get out as I leaned in to get the adoption fee! While I was finishing paperwork, another longtime volunteer drove up. Peanut stuck her head out and around the car to look, and we told the other volunteer that Peanut was going home. She broke into tears, she thought Peanut would never have a home!
Right before Peanut hopped into my car the first day we met!
Now it’s been 13 months, and I am so glad to have brought this incredible, wonderful, loving creature into my life! I am grateful everyday for Peanut choosing me!
Next Up: The trials and tribulations of learning to work with a sensitive and fearful dog.
Until Next Time!
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