Ernie, A Happy Ending

Sasha and Andy wanted to be a BAD RAP foster home for a dog. Any dog. I remember how they spied Audie as I considered his future as a performance dog for myself. I never asked, but suspect they may have adopted him had I not done that myself. But, they wanted to help any BAD RAP dog reach his or her best to find a new home. We asked them to foster Ernie. Ernie survived Michael Vick and remained a happy and thoughtful dog, but Ernie had an annoying habit. He whined. Constantly. The pitch was not far from the decibles required to break glass. Ernie had also never lived with cats. Sasha and Andy have two.

Fast forward a few months and a lot of training. Ernie has new confidence, his whining has all but disappeared. And Ernie has two new friends, Henry and Quincy, the resident cats. Sasha and Andy introduced their cats to Ernie slowly and we smiled with each photo update. First was a photo of Ernie sitting politely 10 feet from Henry, then Ernie sitting politely 5 feet from Henry, and one day, Ernie lounging on floor with Henry. He soon won over Quincy too. Ernie’s whine was nearly gone, his obedience stellar, and others started commenting that they wanted their dog to walk on leash just like Ernie, so we decided it was time to help Ernie find his new home. We discovered though, he already had. Just the other day, Sasha and Andy requested the opportunity to be his adopters. How lucky can a dog get. Ernie survived Michael Vick, he survived a long, lonely shelter existence, and he landed a home with a warm, smart couple, two cat pals and his best dog partner, Hana. We’ll be signing final adoption papers soon. Now that’s a happy ending.

Photo credit: Deanne Fitzmaurice