Crowded House

Another post in my continuing “Days of Yore” series, catching up on long-overdue photos of Truman’s final days as a puppy-in-training….

August 30, 2008 — Crowded House

It was at Service Dog G’s house that I received the dreaded phone call from GDA, letting me know that Truman had been “career changed,” and asking if I intended to adopt him (read the whole story if you like). To make a long story short, Wolf and I picked him up a few days later and brought him back to a very crowded house. Truman and G were already friends, and it didn’t take long with Imriel, either.

“What are you looking at? Can’t a couple of guys just hang out and share our feelings, talk about manly-dog stuff over a cool, refreshing tile floor?”

“No, you’re right. We need to be play-fighting and teeth-rattling with giant fangs out, like crazy vampire dogs. There. That’s much better. Then when we’re done here, we’re going to get our little friend and line up as if we intend to let you take a lovely photo. Then we’re going to make weird faces and give you the scary-supernatural-dog eyeballs. It’ll be fun. Watch this.”

It was quite the fun-filled few days.

Unfortunately, once I was back home in my apartment, being responsible for both boys wasn’t going to work out — between living in a third-floor apartment and having to drive to work 45 minutes away and leave a dog at home, there was just too much juggling and contingency planning and all-around chaos for me to handle by myself. I had taken the Imriel assignment thinking that Truman would be in training for at least a little while, so the speed of his triumphant return came as an “uh-oh, NOW what?” surprise. Fortunately, Imriel was perfectly happy to spend the rest of his Southern California visit at the home of my puppy group co-leaders, who are excellent dog trainers and enthusiastic “Shepherd people.”

Imriel is now career changed himself, and living happily with his original puppy raiser. I still think of him occasionally, with great fondness.