Rupe-a-Loop, Rupe-Dawg, the Rupe-ster...all interchangeable in describing the one and only Rupert.
Seeing this image, you would never guess it was the same dog from when Jared and I first visited and brought him home from Wayside Waifs, a local animal shelter. This is the story of Rupert, and how he came to be ours.
I had wanted a dog for months previous to the decision to make Rupert the newest member to our little family, and I spent countless nights searching websites of local shelters for the perfect mutt. Yes, I dreamed to find a great
mutt. Not a purebred, AKC certified perfectly bred dog. There is something so exciting about a mutt...you never know what you will get, and their coats, eyes, and bodies display the most interesting combination of whatever breeds lead them to their existence. And there was no other option for me than to adopt a dog from a shelter. With so many helpless pups, and so many heartbreaking Sarah McLaughlin commercials constantly reminding me of them, shelters where the only place I would look. Anyway, finally one evening, I saw Rupert's picture and had an instant feeling of "Could this be the one?!". Jared was indifferent, as he has seen me research and gush over countless puppy images. How was he to know that this one was for real? "You should never go look at a puppy unless you intend to buy." Jared would say.
He knew I meant business, when I wanted to make a visit. He was all up for it, so we ventured to Wayside Waifs to check him out. This is what we found the first trip up to the shelter:
I know, adorable right? A perfect little mix of a German Shepard and a Chow. But it is important to note that he didn't hardly move from that spot, despite my desperate attempts to get him to come to me, to wag his tail, to show any sign of the playful 4 month old puppy I so eagerly wanted him to be. I began to have second thoughts. So much so, that Jared and I left the shelter, disappointed, without even meeting Rupert in the puppy viewing room.
A week passed, and yet still, Rupert stayed on my mind. I knew he had a rough start to his life based on the bio Wayside Waifs provided. I wanted to be the stable, loving owner this poor little guy needed. So Jared and made a second trip to Wayside Waifs, this time to meet him face to face in the puppy viewing room. He was everything we expected this time: timid, shy, uninterested and afraid of human touch. BUT...he had a small, I'm talking TINY, interest in the tennis ball. I saw a tail wag, and a small jump of excitement when the tennis ball was thrown. This was all I needed to make the decision that this little guy had great potential. He had to be ours.
One week later, March 31st, 2010. I drove to Wayside Waifs once more, only this time to bring Rupert home. Here he is, happy as a little clam ready to ride home with me!
The first few days were not easy. Owning a puppy who wants nothing to do with you was troubling, but I just had to remember that he needed time. Slowly, day by day, he warmed up, began to trust, and began to show the curious and playful personality Jared and I now see everyday. He certainly still has his issues to work out--Most notably is his overwhelming fear of strangers--but overall he has been truly a wonderful dog. His favorite place to hang out is in his kennel, I mean can it get any easier than that?! He was potty trained in 2-3 days, and he learned shake within 1 day (Just one of the now 7 tricks we taught him). We love him to pieces, and now hopefully you do too, even if you meet him and he won't let you pet him. :) There will be plenty of more opportunities to fall for Rupert when he graces the Curious Yellow Blog page in the future. We can't wait to see what kind of dog he is in the next few months, and years!
P.S. Why the name Rupert? Actually, his shelter name was Rupert, and Jared and I decided to keep it because it seemed to perfectly fit his timid and independent puppy personality so well.
