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You are here: Home / Archives for adopting a dog

Skipping Across the Rainbow Bridge

April 15, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus

“Jack” was the name chosen by someone long before us.

jack-&-I

However, when we rescued him from the shelter, we figured, “Why not? We might as well keep the name.” His moniker morphed strangely to “Jackpot,” slid into “Pot-Pot,” and eventually just — embarrassingly enough — “Pot.” I usually called him “Big Puppy.”

Being older, Jack had “issues.”

Boy howdy, did he have issues! We didn’t seek out a dog that needed 24-hour attention, but we got one. Within a week of his “gotcha” day, we discovered he had hypersensitive skin, causing him to chew and scratch at his sides so much, he would bleed. To prevent self-mutilation, we stumbled upon the idea of adorning him in toddler-sized T-shirts. Since Mini-human clothing is not designed for Mini Schnauzers, we had to put the shirts on backwards – with the design facing up instead of down. Securing them so he didn’t trip, while still providing freedom to “do his business,” he was the most “stylin’” dog in town. Eventually, he acquired a complete wardrobe of emblazoned with super hero motifs, holiday fashions, and our favorite, inscribed, “Mommy’s Little Monster” in stark white letters. Beyond soothing his skin, we’re sure he liked them because after every walk (when we had to remove his shirt to attach his leash), he’d wait for us to re-dress him.

A never-ending source of noises was our Big Puppy.

He didn’t bark much (unless he saw another dog) but he grunted, groaned, licked, chewed, yawned, and exhaled loudly without end. He also broke wind – constantly, always a source of confusion to him, causing him to spin mid-step, seeking the source of the rear-end disruption.

What most people remember was that he “skipped.”

Because his hind legs were too close together and he had scoliosis (did I say he had “issues?”) his rear feet bumped each other when he walked, causing him to hop, giving the appearance he was skipping down the street. It didn’t slow him down, but did provide the funniest impression of a Fred-Astaire-Singing-in-the-Rain upbeat gait as he strolled down the avenue. Ironically, it was spot-on; he actually was happiest in those moments.

Sunday was our last walk.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: family, Newspaper Column, Personal, Relationships, Tribute Tagged With: adopting a dog, death of a pet, grief, mini schnauzer, rainbow bridge, sadness, why

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-03

July 3, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

  • Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-06-26 http://nblo.gs/jFlTq #
  • @MyProfSpeaker Thanks again for promoting my article in the Manteca Bulletin. I appreciate it. – Scott “Q” Marcus #
  • Video: One Perfect Day http://nblo.gs/jGL7m #
  • Facebook Friend Invitations: The New Spammers http://nblo.gs/jIjFD #
  • Monday Motivational Memo: Finding Positive Intent http://nblo.gs/jIjFC #
  • Nearing end of the month & I’m short of my monthly goal by 25. Please answer 4 anonymous questions at http://bit.ly/h07JbY & pass this on. #
  • Quotation from Thomas Jefferson about Imperfection http://nblo.gs/jM56m #
  • Dog Teaches Man: How Adopting a Rescue Dog Reminds us About Attitude http://nblo.gs/jO32J #
  • How can adopting a dog teach us how to change our own attitude and habits? An enjoyable column. http://bit.ly/ig5wo0 #
  • Dog Trains Man: How a Rescued Dog Taught Its Owner Some New Tricks: http://EzineArticles.com/6389591 #
  • Video: The Value of Time http://nblo.gs/jQt3N #
  • Last day of the month – please check in with your answers at http://www.AttitudeIndex.com (I still need about 10 replies to hit goal.) Thanks. #
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Filed Under: Weekly Twitter Feeds Tagged With: adopting a dog, attitude, effective communication skills, healthier lifestyle, imperfection, manteca bulletin, perfect day, scott marcus, spammers, thomas jefferson, value of time

Dog Teaches Man: How Adopting a Rescue Dog Reminds us About Attitude

June 29, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

I’ve heard tell that dog owners (or “guardians” as some prefer) look like their dogs.

I did not realize with how much haste that transpires.

We have been considering adopting a dog for a few years. As with any important project, we began by identifying what we wanted. One, he must be a rescue dog. Two, she must not be bothered by our two cats (of course how they respond to the dog will be their decision). Three, we wanted a smaller dog that had some personality but was not hyper.  Those were the “must haves,” the remainder were “would likes.” We surfed websites, monitored our newspaper, and checked shelters and animal control with regularity.

Welcome “Jack.” He’s a five-year old mini-Schnauzer with a persuasive, mostly subdued personality who loves our backyard, follows me like a shadow, is housebroken (yay!), and even understands some commands, allowing me the option to train him even more; something I wanted. While I write, he has already taken to lying in his bed, apparently content to watch me type. (I guess he’s hard-pressed for entertainment.)

As for similarity — although I did not think of it when I picked him up; he already resembles me (or I do him). His hair, although dark of base, is basically “silver,” slightly disheveled, and he sports a gray goatee in need of a shave. More striking is that he is also into yoga; I’ve seen him doing “downward facing dog” repeatedly. (Insert rim shot here…)

The one attribute of which I am NOT fond is that, although he slept through night one without incident, he is evidently an early riser, quite contrary to myself. A perk of self-employment with one’s home as the office, is the ability to grab a few extra winks each morning, since my commute consists of four stairs. Alas, I fear those days have passed, as Jack is part rooster, prone to rise with the sun (especially ill-fated since this is summer and first light is unfortunately early). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Change, family, Gratitude, Happiness, Health, Inspiration, mental health, Motivation, Newspaper Column, Power of Attitude, Self Talk Tagged With: adopting a dog, animal control, animal shelter, dog owners, dog rescue, early riser, mini schnauzer, personality

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