Indy comes home

Out of the shelter things go much better.  Indy is nervous, but is obviously comfortable with a leash.  We get the the car and open the back door.  Indy climbs right in with barely a second hesitation.  We start on our way back, and the dog gives us little trouble.  He's unsteady on his feet in the car, but still prefers not to sit or lay down.  But he is extremely calm and no trouble at all.  His one bark is over a passing motorcycle.  For a dog just plucked out of a shelter he is an angel.  I'm far more worked up than him, and hungry to boot.  (Other than a boba drink I haven't eaten all day.)

We start looking for a Pet store, and food.  We don't have anything for a dog.  I know you should buy every thing BEFORE you get the dog, but when you are looking for a dogs between 15-50 pounds you can't buy ahead.  The crate, harness, lead, dish are all  going to be determine by size.  Even for the food I wanted to know what the dog  been eating before, and it's age.  So we pulled into a strip mall with a Petco, and an In&Out.  We hit the drive thru and hope that the dog won't cause trouble with us eating in the car.  To our surprise he seems interested, but polite, and calm.  Before we go to the pet store I try to feed him a piece of patty I've saved.  No luck.  He is interested, but won't take it.  I'm surprised by this, what dog won't readily eat hamburger patty?

  In the store we get a harness, 20 foot lead, 2 steel dog bowls, and a crate.  Brenna isn't a fan of the crate.  (Like me she grew up with dogs that basically just ran free.)  But I figure that Indy will prefer being locked in a crate inside rather than sleeping outdoors.  I wander the store looking for the right brand of food, and I'm grateful that Indy helpfully selects exactly the right brand himself (sniffing it with interest).  We get out to the car, and suddenly realize that there isn't enough room for both dog, and crate.  Wondering if we've made a mistake we put the crate in the car, and urge Indy into it.  He balks once, and tries to go into the floor the second time.  Then once he realizes that I want him in the crate.  He climbs right in.  I close the door, and he rides without complaint the whole way back.  The only noise is the occasional thump when he is knocked off his feet during braking.  (Some things never changed.)  By the time we get home he is asleep in his crate.

Bringing a dog home is a nervous experience.  Nothing in his paperwork indicates he is house trained.  You ask yourself.  Will he pee on things?  Get into the garbage? Chew on things?  He raises his leg once, but stops when he gets a harsh no.  We setup his crate, and have him go inside.  We put some food in the bowl, but he won't eat.  He spends the rest of his evening sprawled out on the floor, or curled up in his crate.  His one walk of the evening is nervous, and tentative.  The cars in the dark spook him leading me to think it may have been a very long time since he has walked in a public place at night.