Put a dog down today.

[Old Sarge]

Maybe the search for a new dog is over. It certainly appears that way.

I've been searching for a female Staffordshire Bull Terrier since the day after we put Star down. I found a few but for various reasons none of the possibilities never clicked. I was breed specific because we've had rotties, a cane corso, now an AmStaff and I like the mindsets of those dogs. But we're getting older and need to downsize. Sure I could have taken a rescue pit bull mixed breed but with unknown parents what would the full grown size be? The existing rescues were all too large.

To shorten the story, yesterday I contacted a woman with pups down in Florida. Filled out the  questionnaire, and talked  with her for 50 minutes this AM. The upshot is that we're ideal owners and we'll be mailing out a check. She doesn't "ship" because she doesn't want to put the pup in a cage in the hold of an aircraft. I like that. Instead we'll work something out where the pup can avoid that even it if means paying someone's airfare to hand carry her. Or her son is going for his comm' pilots license and needs to log flight hours, maybe fly up here and we pick it up from his hands.

The pups are 4 weeks old and Maine law states that pups must stay with the parents to either 10 or 12 weeks so there's plenty of time to work out arrangements. I like that too, the pups need to learn things. SBTs are people dogs (the original Nanny dog) and the present owner says that even though their eyes are just opening when the family goes to the whelping area they leave mom and make their way to the human.

Barring nothing unforeseen happening it sure appears our search is over.

How is Shadow handling the loss of his sister? Not good. He's a different dog. We do what we can but he's obviously grieving. When he goes outside he goes to where she used to lay and starts to dig looking for her. He never cried before but now he does, often. We handled Stars death incorrectly. We should have let him see and sniff the body. He's intelligent enough to understand. We failed him. I hope the pup pulls him out of his funk.

Very good news! I had to Google the SBT...fine looking breed! Sounds like a lot of hoops to jump through, which will totally be worth it. Sorry to hear about Shadow and his struggle. His new little brother will undoubtedly help him move on too!