Gone to the Dog?

And so it came to pass, perhaps surprisingly, that the Fitzpatricks welcomed another dog into their home early in 2021. But would they be able to keep her? What will be outcome of this blog's first cliffhanger entry?

If you read my overwrought farewell to our beloved canine companion Nitti back in October, you will not be surprised to learn that the whole experience was pretty exhausting on us as a family. So much so, in fact, that Audrey and I were unsure if we even wanted to get another dog. "Every puppy is a countdown to tragedy," as they say, and we were none too keen on repeating that experience.

But the worst thing about not having Nitti around was seeing all the places he could have been - looking out the window, lapping up a drink at his water dish, or sitting on the recliner next to me while I worked from home. We found ourselves longing for the sound of his nails on the linoleum overhead and hated the fact that there was no reason not to lock the back door after dinner, since he would not need to be let out one last time before bed. For a dog that weighed less than thirty pounds, he left a hole in our lives that a beluga could have swum through, so we started actively looking for another dog to adopt before the end of October.

And while we are not fussy people in terms of breed, breeding or colour, there were a number of criteria any new dog would need to meet: not a puppy, but not too old either; not a purse dog, but small enough to feel comfortable in our house and yard; and no specific breed, but definitely non-shedding as Glory and I both have allergy issues.

And with the Edmonton Humane Society closed to adoptions, it was up to Audrey to sort out the various animal rescue organizations, starting locally but soon ranging all across the province. We made it to the interview stage of a society here in Edmonton, but there were no matching dogs. Luckily, Audrey made a connection with a volunteer at the Cochrane Humane Society. When she asked about our previous dog-owning experience, Audrey offered to send her a link to my blog. The next day she wrote back to say,  "okay, my eyes are all red, I have used up all my tissues and I can barely swallow. We are gonna get you guys a dog."

Nothing panned out for her, but she put us in contact with someone at Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue near Canmore who had some rescues coming in from Mexico, of all places. After completing their adoption application and following up with two emails full of photographs of our home and yard, we were approved to adopt Canéla, a year-and-a-half old terrier mix who had been found in a vacant lot in Cozumel. It is probable that her owners had to move out of the area after losing their jobs due to Covid and could not afford to bring her along.

With excitement and trepidation in equal measure, Audrey, Glory and I loaded up the kennel and blankets into the Flex this morning so we could pick up Canéla from Canmore. 

It was bitterly cold in Edmonton when we left, but as we approached the mountains, we saw the temperature rise from -20 to -2.

Soon enough, we found ourselves outside an acreage just west of Canmore, where we went in to meet our prospective new pooch (if, heaven forbid, we are unable to keep her due to allergies or such, we are able to return her).

The poor animal hasn't been in the country for a full week yet, and although she was understandably shy around us newcomers, she obviously had a lot of trust and affection for the volunteers looking after her. They gave Audrey some treats to entice her over, and she greeted each of us in turn. 

They asked if we wanted to take her for a short walk, the longest time she has been on a leash in months. While still visibly apprehensive, with her tail tucked between her legs, she was also very curious and happy to be outside, despite what has to be a shocking change in ambient temperature from what she is used to in Cozumel.

We returned to the house, Audrey completed the needed paperwork and we carried Canéla out to the Flex, and prompted her into the kennel on the back seat for the ride to her new home.

Canéla is about the same weight as Nitti (who was 26 lbs at his last regular vet visit) but is oriented in a completely different fashion. As Glory put it, Nitti didn't really have any discernible knees, while this terrier is a leggy beastie to be sure, with sizable feet to match. This made it a snugger fit inside the kennel, but she seemed content to let her head hang out the door and visit with Glory in the back seat.

Glory took Canéla out for a walk when we stopped for gas at Cross Iron, but after a few minutes in a noisy parking lot at -13, she quickly displayed her preference for the car. Since she had been getting warm though, we put the kennel in the back and let her stretch out on the blankets covering the seat.

She alternated getting scratches from Glory and curling up with her toy dog Douglas that the volunteers had given her.

We left the house at twenty to nine in the morning and got back about a quarter past seven at night, greeted by an ecstatic Fenya. All four of us spent a little time on the floor together while Canéla explored the kitchen (blocked off by a recently acquired baby gate until she is housetrained) and accepted scratches and pets from each of us.

She is obviously a little underfed ("You need to chuck a couple of cheeseburgers into that dog" my brother-in-law suggested) but is doing very well for a dog that spent at least half a year in an animal shelter in Cozumel (that's like, what - four human years at a medium-security correctional facility I figure? Brr!). She is also no fan of going outside to do her business, but hey, who would be in this weather.

We are still trying to sort out her name, but the temporary one given to her by the workers as the shelter in Cozumel is starting to grow on us. If we end up going with Canéla, I have suggested perhaps spelling it K'Nayla, as it looks even more exotic and is closer to the Spanish pronunciation of her name than can-NELL-uh, which comes pretty naturally when you read it.

And should anyone snort disdainfully and ask why we gave our dog a Klingon name, I look forward to telling them, "oh no, her name is just Spanish for cinnamon."

In the meantime though, we are keeping a wary eye out for potential behavioral issues and of course, allergic reactions from Glory and I. Glory actually was a little sniffly tonight, but she was around quite a few dogs (and a cat) at the Rescue Society this afternoon as well. Audrey is bathing the dog right now so we can have a good baseline for evaluating tomorrow, so we should know in the next few days whether we can keep her, or face a different kind of canine heartbreak next weekend when we have to return her.

Stay tuned!