HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW?

My Facebook friends who actually know me are probably aware that our dog Hobbes died, basically of old age, in mid-January. 

On April 6, we adopted a new dog. Her name is Marigold, which is not a name we’d have chosen, but she responds to it, so we’ll get used to it.  She’s a four-year-old hound mix, maybe a Redtick Coonhound.  A friend who’s a volunteer dog walker for the Humane Society spotted her and gave us a heads up. 

For those of you who’ve known me for a really long time, I’ll add that Marigold’s coloration is quite similar to that of our dog Ruby, back in the 80s.  But Ruby was a beagle mix.  Marigold is taller and heavier.  In fact, our vet says she could stand to lose five or six pounds.  My doctor says the same thing about me, so we have a lot in common.

Marigold was turned in by her previous owners because she barked and annoyed their neighbors.  They said she also chewed stuff in their house, and occasionally peed inside.  The Humane Society says her previous owners were “elderly,” which is probably how they’d describe me.  But after spending ten days with Marigold, my guess is that her previous owners didn’t provide her with enough stimulus or exercise.  Apart from one peeing incident within the first 15 minutes of bringing her home, she hasn’t displayed any of those bad habits with us.

She's really sweet - affectionate without being clinging, and good with both people and other dogs.  The Humane Society recommended that we crate her, so we bought a large crate.  The first day, she wouldn't go near it, but a couple of mornings later, I got up and found her sleeping in it.  We haven't left her home alone for more than two or three hours, but so far, so good.