Someone pinch me. Did I really just bring my shelter crush home? You might think I’m crazy but I believe this was meant to be. No other time in my life has this happened or probablly will happen again for a long time. A window of opportunity opened up and I climbed through it!!! Hubby wasn’t thrilled but was very supportive because of the bond I have with this ray of sunshine dog.

Spence made himself right at home. I’ll get back to that in a second. On our way home, I stopped at Starbucks and got a pup cup for my special boy and a Venti Green Tea Frappe with no whip for me. He knew exacty where we were and what he was getting. The boy is really smart and doesn’t forget. After he devoured or slurpped his pup cup we headed to McDonalds for cheeseburgers. Don’t you love his whipped cream mustache? Oh, and just because you buy him more hamburgers then you buy for yourself, don’t think for one moment you’re gonna get to eat the whole thing. He eats way faster!!

We were going to go to the park first but I just got so excited for him to see his new and improved bachelor pad that we just headed home. The first thing he did was to walk right into his kennel to check it out. I think he was pleased because when I leave him to enjoy the whole den to himself, he goes to sleep in his kennel.

After lunch we had outside play time. As I was filling up the pool, he started jumping at the water coming out of the hose. Who knew he liked water? He never got near the pools at the shelter except to get a drink. He had so much fun.

A little later we played catch. Spencer would bring the ball back to me and drop it at my feet, waiting for me to pick it up and throw it. I had been playing at the shelter all week and instructing him to sit and wait while I picked up the ball because before that you had to throw two balls to get one to throw. The boy is smart! He’s not perfect at it yet but shows real promise.

I keep him on my 25 foot yard leash because the boy can jump so high into the air and I don’t want him to be tempted to try that with my fence. I don’t think he would leave me because he is quite my shadow but I don’t want to take any chances on day one. My neighbor let his dog out and he was trying to instigate Spencer to run the fence with him. Spencer headed toward the fence but the leash doesn’t reach and he couldn’t go. After that try he could care less about the dog next door. He totally ignored him. My dogs stood at the sliding glass door and just stared at Spencer. There was no reactivity on either parts. I was thrilled with this because I didn’t want to have to lock my girls up. My son and son-in-law bring thier dogs over all the time and my girls love them. I think they would love Spencer too but it’s too soon to even think about it since Spence requires dog to dog visits at the shelter.

The training staff at the shelter have been doing muzzle training because of Spencer’s shy and fearfulness, so we took a walk in my neighborhood to see how he would do. I had absolutely no trouble getting the muzzle on. He shook his head twice once it was secured but after that it was as if nothing were different. Good job, Spence!!!!

In the evening when the grandkids went to bed, Spence got to come in the house and meet my husband and just have some family time. He went right up to my husband who was holding out treats for him. We didn’t initiate petting because we wanted him to make the choice. When my daughter-in-law walked in the front door, he went right up to her and sniffed her hands hahahahah. There were no signs of fear or shyness. After that he climbed into my lap for a few minutes of snuggle time and kisses.

I put Spence back in the doggie den about 8pm and he didn’t get up til 8am. I think he had the best sleep he’s had in a long time. I loved watching him sleep on the camera installed in the den. I only kennel him at night or if I have to leave the house. Other then that he has free run of his bachelor’s pad. No accidents at this point. Day one was amazing. He seems to be adjusting quickly. When I leave the den, he pops his head in the window to watch me leave. The best part of taking a dog out of the shelter is watching them sleep because they are finally at peace.

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Spencer is 2 years old and has been at the Shelter since June 2020. He came in as a stray. He needs to have multiple meet and greets with potential adopters, in a home with no children and if adopters have other dogs there must be a meet and greet between dogs. He is well worth the investment. You can read more of his details at https://kcpetproject.org/animal-details/?aid=44882776&cid=11&tid=Dog#.Xz1oGWySnIU