Bourbon

Update:12/21/09

Boy, is Bourbon ever looking handsome! His skin has cleared up and his coat is getting thicker. He has started his heartworm treatment—but we made sure to wait until after the Thanksgiving holiday, because we suspected Bourbon would want to play, play, play with the young doggie houseguest who came calling for the long weekend. And he did! In no time they started roughhousing. When I was downstairs and the two were upstairs playing it sounded like a herd of horses running around. (And yes, Bourbon IS officially a senior! Just tell him that. He has plenty of energy… though he’s having to keep it under wraps a bit now.)

Bourbon was a yard dog for most of his life, and he never really got out and about, so everything was new to him when he first came to GRR:

* Car rides! THEN: When we tried to get him into the car, he’d sink to the ground and turn into a dead weight. NOW:  He likes it! He’s calm and loves looking out the window.

* Leash walking! THEN: Awful! NOW: Awful! (: Still a work in progress. He wears a harness which helps with the weaving and pulling. We’ll work more on this once he finishes his HW treatment.

* Indoor manners! THEN: Excited, nervous, had accidents. Afraid of the TV, afraid of going up the stairs. NOW: No accidents for a long time, and he’s much calmer in the house… but he is just a love puppy and SO happy to be part of a family. He has taken over the couch and loves to cuddle. In the evenings he gets up on the couch with me and leans in and puts his head on my lap. I just love that! He is a sweet one. He goes up and down stairs now, no problem. And as for the TV… well, far from being afraid of it, now he WATCHES it! I had “Marley and Me” on the other night, and Bourbon heard the barking, ran to the TV, and was looking behind and under the cabinet for the dog. He finally looked up and started watching the TV screen (see the photo). It was so funny. Since he spends most of his time on the couch I will see him watching TV in the evenings—and he’d probably become quite the fan of soap operas if I let him watch during the day!

Bourbon would do well with another dog or without one. My dogs don't play and he is fine with that, but he sure had a good time with Copper when he was here. He’d love a home where he could sleep on the couch and hang out with the family. He is precious, though we’re still polishing up his social graces!  He wants so much to be a family member and it has been so great to see him blossom from being a scared guy when he first arrived to a loving, sweet, affectionate boy who loves to hang out. He is just a great dog.

Certain things get better with age, and Bourbon is definitely one of them. With just a few more months of aging & mellowing in foster care, he will arrive at that perfect adoptable condition.

This handsome guy grew up with an older gentleman who became infirm and unable to care for his pet, and eventually had to move to a nursing home. Relatives couldn’t take Bourbon in, so for a while they simply came by to feed him as he continued to live in the yard of his now-empty home. But that situation wasn’t a good one – especially with bad weather bearing down. Bourbon was whisked into GRR care, making it to the clinic just ahead of incoming storms.

The vet check revealed that Bourbon has infected ears and heartworms too, but luckily he has adapted very well to his crate and goes right in. He has his meals there, too. This will make it easier to keep him quiet during heartworm treatment! More news from his foster home:

He loves the toys and carries them around with him. In fact, he just likes to carry things around in general. Will pick up shoes and different items that he finds and tote them around the house. We have a toy cow that moos when you apply pressure  on its stomach. Bourbon picked it up the first morning and it mooed. You could just read his mind: “??? !!!!!! What the…?” He dropped it and sniffed it and turned his head this way and that way and then did it again and again and then he tried to kind of kill it. He was throwing it all around. It was so funny to watch!

I haven’t groomed him yet, because he was so wiggly when I even tried to pet him at first. He was so excited to be getting attention that he wouldn’t stay still at all. But after just one day, he will sit and let you pet him. I must say he is very young at heart, not gray at all and at a great weight with a nice waistline. He seems to be so much younger than eight! He has some manners to learn but given a little time & TLC he will be a super dog and a great companion for someone.

Adoption Procedures