The run that almost wasn’t turned into something special

I’ve been very negligent of this blog the last month.  There’s been a lot on my mind, and it ended up being a very busy month.  Not just due to holidays but to work to dealing with people, etc.  Running has been sporadic to say the least.  I think I might have only had two actual double digit figure mileage this month and maybe only once  hitting 30 miles.  I’m trying hard not to beat myself up over it.   I did do cross training which was helpful to staying fit.

However, the latest news with me is that 2 1/2 weeks ago, I had a very interesting run.   The day started out busy, and I missed my morning workout due to oversleeping.  I felt guilty about it and vowed to run that day even if the sun was gone and it was pitch black.  I wound up running in the late afternoon on a 30-something degree day.

The run wasn’t spectactular, however, as I neared the end of my route, I spotted a dog by the side of the road.  Living out in the country, I see a lot of dogs.  Some are friendly, others bark, others are not friendly at all.  This one was a very young puppy!  I called over to her, telling her hello.  She immediately slinked her way to me and showed me her belly, wanting tummy rubs.  I obliged.  I picked her up as a car was appearing.  Since the little puppy was in front of a neighbor’s house, I knocked on the door to see if it belonged to them.  No one was there.  I went to the other other neighbor across the road and inquired again.  No avail.

Well, I was not going to leave a cute eight week old puppy in the cold.  So being the good samaritan I am, I took her home.  I carried her half a mile up my large hill to my place.  I was impressed.  She did not squirm or make any noise at all.  She just laid in my arms with no flinching.  Once home, I let her meet my three other dogs.  She did fabulous as did my own dogs.  Just to note, my three dogs are pretty well adjusted and meet dogs well.  They were quite intrigued, and she just acted like a silly puppy.

Over the course of the next week, I took the puppy to work with me (I work at a dog kennel) and also to the vet to get checked.  I also started training her with a clicker as well.  She caught on quickly.  I decided it would be good to check the local paper to see if anyone was missing a dog.  I did not see any ads at all.  So my assumption is that she was “dumped.”  I mean how far can an 8 week old puppy go?  The answer is not far.  I may not have been running for two weeks outside, but I am familiar of the dogs around there.

My decision was made–to keep her.  The ironic thing of deciding to keep her was that this was a week before Christmas.  Being a dog trainer, I always advise clients NOT to get puppies or dogs at Christmas, and here I was doing the same thing.  It was like committing a cardinal sin! 

My finality of the decision was because I loved her temperament.  Was it not for that, then I would have fostered her and adopted her out.  But she’s too good and special, and I feared her temperament would be ruined.

I’m estimating she is 10 1/2 weeks old.  It’s quite fun, though exhausting too to have one this young again.  It’s similar to having an infant in the household, though I have not yet experienced that personally.  I can only make a guess.  It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve had a puppy, so this is like a raising a second “child” where you get to use the knowledge you’ve gained over the years.  You learn what you did right and where you can improve. 

The puppy has a name.  It is Tovah Aliyah.  Both are Hebrew names.  I’m nto Jewish, but I liked both names and how they went together.  Tovah means “good, pleasing, and possibly thankful.”  Aliyah means “rising, ascending to.”  So far, she is doing exceptionally well, and I really could not be any happier.  I know we’ll stumble and bumble along the way, but I’m determined to try my best to make the experiences of her life the best possible.

Meet my newest addition to the family, Tovah Aliyah:

 Who can really say no to that sweet face?