We have a velcro dog. We’ve always had dogs, but this one is especially needy and clingy. I’m fairly certain he thinks he is a people.
He is often mistaken for a Doberman but he is actually a Black and Tan Coonhound and Lab mix. And yep – he most definitely has the hound howl!
When we saw this crazy guy on a rescue site, we were smitten. He was just a pup, his mother, brother, and sister were abandoned in a fenced area in the middle of Oklahoma in the heat of Summer. The previous owners just up and moved, leaving the dogs behind to try to fend for themselves. Fortunately, there was a neighbor that heard them and fed and watered them and contacted the rescue groups for help. I’m sure it was the hound dog howl that alerted them!
We first saw him in a picture, laying under a old truck in the shade. Black dogs and sun, let’s just say he likes the shade of our apple tree for good reason. We weren’t looking for this type of dog. We had started looking for Pyrenees or maybe a Rottie, something a bit heavy and bigger. But rarely do you ever end up with what you are looking for. The animal picks you, you are foolish to think you pick the animal. We made an appointment to meet him and possibly his siblings when they were transferred to our state.
The rescue was crawling with people with appointments to meet the animals coming in that day. There were so many dogs getting new homes! Apparently, this rescue would transfer dogs in from all over the Midwest once or twice a month and have these big adoption/arrival days. While we checked in and waited to meet Dean, his rescue name, we watched and met so many other adoptive parents and pups and older dogs – big, little, active, chill. It was truly amazing how well they matched up with the prospective new owner. There was a woman and her young daughter, maybe 1st grade or so, that lived on the street where the rescue is. They are used to this event happening a couple times a month, so they would make these big blocks of ice for all the new dogs to lick and nibble during the event. They froze carrots and treats and dog food in the ice and then would bring one or two down and meet the dogs.
The yard was a bustle of activity, people were already filling out paperwork and leaving and we still hadn’t met Dean, I was starting to worry he hadn’t made the transfer. We were able to talk to one of the employees and was assured he was there. They bathe all the animals on arrival and they get a check over and shots/deworming from the vet before meeting the possible new families. Poor Dean and his family had been so flea infested, they had had to bathe them twice and that was why there had been a delay.
They knew we were anxious so as soon as he had had his second bath they brought him out to us wrapped in a towel and shivering. How could you NOT fall in love at that point. This little tiny pup, abandoned, flea infested and shivering. Of course I bonded immediately, the mom in me coming out, wrapped him up and snuggled him close, speaking soft words of comfort and went to stand in the sun so he could dry out a bit. He melted into my arms, you could feel the nervousness and anxiety leave his little body. We never even needed to meet the siblings. We were in puppy love.
So we ended up with a streamlined, long legged, bullet of a dog. Our youngest son named him, we have usually named our animals after foods of some sort. On the way home we started throwing possible names about. He came up with Guinness, because he looks like a good pour of Black and Tan Guinness Stout. It was perfect.
We have had him for what will be 4 years this Summer. This dog is the most energetic and has the biggest personality of any dog we have had. I thank God, every day, for our last move and the place we landed. I am sure God knew we would need a big yard and lots of space for a future pup to run. There’s an apple tree, with delicious apples he loves to eat and chase when they fall. He likes REALLY big sticks, which are basically logs for the fire pit. He loves to be a lap dog, a 65-70 pound lap dog. He can’t stand for his people to be in different rooms, pacing back and forth until one of you moves to where the other is, he has us trained. He loves ice cream and treats, he knows his commands and will listen pretty well, unless that darn squirrel has taunted him way too much. He sleeps on the bed and the couch is his. If you sit there, he will sit on you.
Lately he has become territorial and we are working on that. But we are his pack. We howl with him and sleep with him. He is going to protect his space and his pack. Velcro dog. Where you are, he is. We wouldn’t have it any other way. World…. Meet Guinness.
