If you knew the actual number of hours per day I have devoted to searching for and thinking about searching for a dog since I moved back here you'd think I was nuts. Doesn't seem like it would be such a hard proposition-- you go to the shelter, find a suitable canine in need of rescue, take it home and there you go, right? That's how I thought it would go, but it hasn't gone like that at all. It's become part of my morning routine now to first check the incredible Petfinder site, individual sites for animal shelters within a 3 state area, the classifieds at Petfinder and the ads on the Uncle Henry's* website. I also call some of the shelters within a 45 minute drive of here every day or so to ask about available dogs and have been to visit the Dover shelter 3 times and the ones in Stratham and Kennebunk once each too. Still, I remain dog-less.
Am I being too picky? I don't think so. All I want is a nice medium sized dog who won't shed too much and who will be a nice pet and companion for walks around the neighborhood and on the trails and fields out on the State Fish and Game land nearby. But I don't want a pitbull, a rottweiller, a doberman or a german shepard and I can't spend $600 on a purebred puppy. Most of the dogs I've seen online and have called about were no longer available and a lot of the ones in the shelters won't be adopted out to families with kids under 12.
When I went up to the Kennebunk shelter I came across a a nice, medium-sized, black dog, who looked like a mix between a lab and something with brown colored feet, who was scared to death to be where he was, but sweet nonetheless. I asked several shelter workers about the dog since it was in a kennel in the area with adoptable dogs but without a card on the kennel. No one could tell me anything about the dog except to check the website in a few days to see if he becomes available. So I continue in my virtual search for a real live dog.
*If you want some insight into the Maine state of mind check out the online version of the Uncle Henry's Weekly Swap or Sell It Guide. The actual physical paper publication gives you a much better feel for the whole Maine vibe, but browsing the offerings on the website is pretty insightful too.The Free for the Taking, Wanted and Swap & Trade sections are good reads. And the Firearms section...