Road Pup

We received one of the nicest-ever applications from someone whose beloved pit bull had just passed at a ripe old age. Mary Jo has a lot of dog smarts and laid out a very specific wish list for her next companion: She was looking for a dog that could handle a certain amount of confinement, and who was resilient and accepting of change and big adventure. She should be a committed sofa surfer, but spunky enough to gobble up a good dose of exercise when the time was right. She couldn't be the least bit shy with people because she was going to meet a LOT of them, and she had to tolerate other dogs well enough to enjoy a good play session with friends' dogs, but ignore dumb dog manners of strange dogs. Mary Jo knew pit bulls well enough to know there were lots of dogs out there that fit the bill, and she had decided that she wanted to adopt a dog from Oakland. No problem!


The home visit was going to be easy because she was willing to drive her house up to us -- all the way from New Mexico in her RV. How cool is that? Now retired, she's living right by spending her days traveling around the country. We were honored to help her find a suitable dog. After sizing up a few prospects waiting in the kennels at Oakland Animal Services, a cutie pie from the Bully Crew program named Cata Girl won the pit bull lottery. Some paperwork and a peek into Cata's new home, and they were off.

Mary Jo wrote to us from the road and told us a little bit about their first few days together:

Right now we are heading back to NM and camping in the state parks. I call Cata Girl, Katy. Katy is getting used to big noisy semis with air brakes and generators running. Not much seems to faze her. She has seen some dogs and notices them but does not seem to be aggressive or agitated by them. She was interested in a prairie dog today.

She is very sweet and very loveable. Loves her tummy rubbed like most all Pit Bulls. Katy took to the RV right away when I started up the engine. Didn't bother her one little bit. When I go outside to do something or fill the tank with gas, Katy watches me at the window. She is a real love bug.

I think this is the first adoption we've ever worked on that included a prairie dog report in the first follow up.

Thanks for going to distance to find a new co-pilot, Mary Jo. We envy your gypsy lifestyle and look forward to more reports from the road.