Rusty is Adopted

At long last, Rusty had been adopted into a loving home. The family, who live in Rockville and have a young son, came up yesterday and fell in love with him. It's awfully quiet in our house now, and it was sad to wake up this morning without the wonderful puppy, but we could not be happier. Rusty will be far happier with these people than in a kennel for the next two weeks while we are away, and we know he will appreciate all the time they are planning on spending with him.
Thank you to everyone who worked to find Rusty a place to live! I'll continue to post updates on our feral feline friends and Tom the Guide Dog puppy after we return from our honeymoon.

I apologize for not posting updates on Rusty. My excuse is that we are getting married in 10 days. (!)

Rusty is making great strides. We have had a few people interested, but no one has worked out, through no fault of his own. Highlights in October included a week-long visit from Imagine, a future guide dog. The two puppies had a blast.

Rusty also loved my sister so much he tried to leave in her car. Sadly for him, she is allergic to dogs.

Thanks to everyone who has forwarded information about this cute puppy!

The Godfather

So when we arrived home yesterday, our kitchen looked like someone had been massacred. That's because Rusty managed to jump up on the counter and take several knives off the knife block, thereby cutting himself and getting blood all over the floor. Not to worry - the cute little guy is fine, and we had to laugh, while also being horrified. The knives have been relocated to a drawer.

He also is feeling much better after a trip to Timonium Animal Hospital, where the wonderful Dr. Shelly Howard took care of him. Rusty has been struggling with some stomach problems, which we believe is related to the food we were giving him. He is definitely improving with some medication and new food.

Rusty had a marvelous Labor Day weekend with a co-worker, and they seemed to hit it off. We've had some interest from her and in other people adopting him, for which we are so grateful. Keep your fingers crossed that Rusty will soon be in his "forever" home.

Breed

The best way to describe Rusty is that he's a terrier and whatever else hopped over the fence. That said, I believe there was an Irish setter in his old neighborhood, and Rusty does have a red coat. Of course, he also has the muzzle of a schnauzer. We think he looks like the Tramp from Lady and the Tramp, but we decided calling him "Tramp" might give him a complex.

Also, I was feeling a little bad because Rusty seemed so attached to Justin - whining when Justin would leave, liking him more, etc. Today, however, Rusty whined when Al the exterminator left.

Weekend with Rusty

Rusty behaved well this weekend. He whined when Justin went out to the garage, so we got him a tie-down stake so he could hang out in the yard. That made him a happy camper - despite having been abandoned in a yard, Rusty loves the outdoors.

He does, however, get an "F" on leaving the cats alone. He's never going to hurt them, but we are trying to teach him not to chase our big orange tabby, even when Simon provokes him. When Tom went back to school, Simon whined for a week, probably because he was bored.

As you can see, Simon needs to lose some weight. Really, both cats could probably stand to lose a few.

We got a brief update on Tom, who has now been at the Guide Dog Foundation for a month. He's adjusting well, and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Rusty

A few people have asked me why we’re putting Rusty up for adoption. It’s mainly due to our travel schedule and impending nuptials – we think he’ll be happiest with a family or person who has a less crazy year ahead. We did not want to take him to a shelter, however, given that he does best when hanging out in a home and with people.

Meanwhile, we’ve given up on the crate. It freaks Rusty out and does not help his anxiety at all. Instead, given his excellent house manners, we installed a door on the kitchen and are leaving him there while we are at work. We also let him sleep on the bed Saturday, and he did not stir until 8:30 a.m. He also has yet to have an accident in our house, which is amazing considering he had a stomach bug over the weekend. He’s a wonderful dog.

The good news is Rusty is smart. The bad news is he managed to break out of his crate.

I’m actually amazed he didn’t destroy anything in our bedroom other than the doorstopper. My shoes, favorite blanket, and clothes are all intact. We are confident that as we continue to feed him in the crate and reassure him about his environment, he’ll grow more accustomed to it. He is excellent when out of the crate – just lays by your feet and sleeps.

He also came through his neutering with flying colors. We are keeping an eye on the patches around his ears, but we expect the skin to grow back. Rusty has tested negative for skin and intestinal parasites, which is a relief. He received his first bath over the weekend, and was scared to death. This was a big change from Tom, the Guide Dog Foundation puppy we raised. Tom once joined me, uninvited, in the shower, and never met a sprinkler he didn’t like. Having Rusty around definitely helps with not missing Tom as much - he returned to the GDF for formal training last month. Here is one of the final pictures with Tom before he went to New York.