So the back-story is that this dog is a seven year old husky mix named Aurora who originates (per microchip info) from the zipcode 78745. She's an escape artist (I now have the dig-marks along my fence line to prove it) whose owners apparently just don't want to reclaim her. Or make a fence, I don't know. Brian and I had gone out for some last-minute shopping for his brother's present and when we got back into my driveway we were met by the dog. She was really friendly but didn't have any tags, so I knocked on a few of my neighbors' doors to see if anyone recognized her. Nobody did. This is her:
Brian, being the nice guy he is, decided we should take her in. Permanently. We took her down to the shelter to file a "found" report and get some particulars on her past (she's been "found" a lot). We're still getting dog-things very piecemeal (a blanket here, dog food there, toys all around), and we were in no way, shape, or form prepared for this.
No, let me take that back. I was in no way, shape, or form prepared for this. The last time I had a dog, I was bordering on 5 years old and she was being put to sleep. I am aware of the amount of time and attention that you have to give a dog, but I don't have it. I do have an ample backyard, but I don't have anyone to check in with/watch/play with the dog during the day. Instead I feel compelled to break up my already haphazard sleep cycle to go outside and make sure she's okay. (More accurately, to make sure she's still in the backyard.) Brian comes over and does the same thing some nights while I'm at work and takes her to his apartment now and then. We've only had her for three days now, and I am already insanely exhausted.
Whining aside, I am definitely glad that I could give her a place to stay that keeps her out of traffic. She is housebroken, she's pretty friendly (but still skittish), and seems to get along well with others. I'm comfortable with having her in the house when I'm there (definitely not even close to comfortable with giving her free rein in any room of the house other than the garage, which she won't go near at ALL, when I'm not there), but I'm also incredibly reserved because I know there is a strong possibility that we won't be able to keep her. She's already been at work digging around the fence line, peeling back weakening boards on that damned rotting fence of mine, and her history is definitely against her staying in one place for too long.
It's kind of like having a second boyfriend, except this one I can't talk to, reason with, or work my charms on. And, despite my name being on all the forms and paperwork thus far, she is essentially Brian's dog. He's made it quite clear that (should she make it that long) he'll be taking her with him to PT school. I just wish that I had more help taking care of her.
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