Mic~Adopted

Mic is a mini Aussie, less than 30 pounds.  Mic arrived at my home last night.  His owner and I have been talking for almost two weeks now.  His owner lived in the Tampa area and was forced to move to Orlando with his brother.  After 23 years at the same job, he was let go.  What a blow for a mature adult to just have everything you know and love vanish in one minute.  Mic’s owner tried everything to re-home him, he published flyers, and called every rescue he could find.  After speaking with him, I thought long and hard, and I had to say yes.  Mic is eight years old.  What chance does he have in a shelter?  What will happen to his emotional state in a shelter?  One night with Mic at my house, and I know he would’ve shut down at a shelter or pound.

Mic is shell-shocked right now.  He’s doing good, but not great.  He won’t eat, and well… he’s lost and confused – but wouldn’t you be?  I can’t imagine how I would feel is someone took me out of my house and put me somewhere else without familiar surroundings, and without my person.

Mic is fully vetted, neutered, and heartworm negative.  I will have him micro-chipped, but to be honest, that’s a waste of money, for he will not leave my side.  To reduce stress, I am asking for a long-term foster for Mic, or better yet, a permanent home.  Mic needs a quiet home, and a routine.

He would be perfect with an older couple, that wants a dog to keep them company, and bark at the sound of strangers.  Mic doesn’t bark unnecessarily, and he is crate-trained.

Mic hasn’t been with me for 24 hours yet, and I know that like many other dogs before him, after he has a chance to decompress, he’ll be just fine, but for now, my heart breaks for him.  I sat down with him this morning, and tried to explain to him that everything is going to be just fine… but I don’t think he understood.  If only dogs could read memos.

It’s frustrating for me, because shelter dogs are thrilled to come here… they enjoy the quiet, their own clean crates, a steady supply of food, attention, and dogs to play with…  they are relieved to be out of the shelter.  Mic is not thrilled, he is depressed.

If you are reluctant to adopt a senior, please don’t take my word for it, but understand that there is no greater joy, and adopting a senior dog is easy peasy!  Here are all of the posts we have written about Adopting a Senior Dog.

You can see all of Mic’s photos on Facebook.

09/18/13 Update: What a difference a day makes! It took several hours sitting with Mic outside yesterday, but I finally convinced him that everything is going to be okay. He gave me a happy wiggle, came to me, and was content. As humans, we think dogs need love, but what they really need is assurance. They need to know that we’ve got their back. They need to feel safe and secure. Mic is just fine! He sees the vet tomorrow for a spa day!

09/21/13 Update:  Carol has been wanting to adopt from TDL for a while, but the stars just never lined up right. When she saw Mic, she couldn’t look away! Mic went home with her today, and he is settling in nicely!