Bingo!

Opportunity does knock, occasionally. As I've written, Skyguy and I had been thinking about getting another dog. We met with a Sheltie breeder who should have litters for sale later this year, so we were waiting and biding our time, wondering how we would justify spending a lot of money for a pup when the economy is bumpy. Saturday, I saw a puppy listed on Freecycle, and while I usually ignore such offers, this one jumped at me. A lady had found a puppy at a local grocery store, and no one had claimed him. She couldn't keep him, so she gave him to me! He has a docked tail, so he is at least part Australian Shepherd if not full blooded. At any rate, I now have a new family member and for the time being, we are calling him Bingo. Yeah. "There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-Oh, B-I-N-GO". I can hear Jordan singing it now. The little guy is both adorable and smart.

The timing on this adoption/rescue could have been better. I'm having foot surgery tomorrow so I won't be able to walk and play with him for a time. I suppose it will be good motivation to get well. I've made a list of commands that I want to teach him. You don't realize how many commands there are until you start listing them. Most dogs know less than 10 commands, I would think. I don't count tricks as commands, but if you do, maybe a dozen instead of 10.

*Stay, *Here, *Come by, *Stand, Away, *Search/Find/Where's, *Stop, *Lay Crawl/Under, *Sit, *Speak, *Wait, *Catch,*Heel, Hold, *Over(jump), *Load up, Weave, *Go Crate, Walk up, *Hush, *Back up, *Easy/Gentle, *Out, *Bring it, *Get that, *Ride, *That'll do, *Leave it, *Drop it, Eat

If it has an asterisk, Bear already knows it. I never could get him to understand 'Away', but sometimes he understands "go right" if he isn't too worked up. I hope I can at least teach Bingo the commands that Bear knows. I'm thinking Gee and Haw might be easier than Come By and Away. Sled dogs use geehaw, so we'll see.

The lady who found Bingo is really the shining star of this story, however. Her situation prevented her from keeping the dog as her own, but she still went out of her way to save this probable purebred dog from the pound, and she not only brought me the dog, but she brought toys, food, bowls, a leash and everything I might need. It is hard to find people like that these days.

Bingo played and attacked Bear all evening, and I think Bear corrected him twice. He was so good, just allowing Bingo to climb, bite, hump and otherwise maul him. Bear even stepped aside and attempted to allow Bingo to share his food(which I did not allow-Bingo eats puppy chow) I lost track of how many times I walked him outside yesterday and this morning. I wanted to give him plenty of leash time to teach walking and heeling on a leash, as well as exercise so that he would be easier to train. Last night, he seemed to have an itchy ear, so we gave him a bath and I sprayed his ear with an anti-itch medication for dogs. I think it worked. He cried in the shower, but did not struggle or fight. Bear was very upset and Bingo was crying, so both dogs, separated by the shower door, cried to each other. I tried to work fast, and I did not give him a full blown bath or drying as I just wanted him to experience the bath. I think in time he will be fine.

Today, he met the girls (a rat terrier and a black lab) that belong to my friend Ava, and we went on a short golf cart ride. He wasn't afraid and seemed to enjoy riding. I think he is bonding to me pretty well, so I just took him out without the leash and he stayed with me. He comes when I call him, so it makes me wonder whether or not I really should change his name, even though the list of potential names still exists. Opinions wanted. This pup is a ball of fire, always switched on and fearless. Braveheart fits, and if I had registration papers, I might list that as his name. I could not call him that, however. Here's the reduced list: Rocket, Loki, Zeus, Nitro, Nike, Ace, Rambo, Bingo, Rio, Echo, Shadow, Mojo, Tango, and Mick. I am open for suggestions, too.

I have an appointment with the vet this afternoon. I'm concerned that I don't feel testicles, but perhaps he is younger than we think. Also, I noticed this morning that he has tapeworms, so he needs treatment for that. Since I don't know whether or not he has been immunized, I suppose I will do that, too. So far, he has handled everything I've thrown at him really well. He's quite smart.