I went down to the parish animal shelter this morning as soon as they opened. I'd called Janice (the animal-care lady I've mentioned in earlier entries) and she'd told me about two dogs at the shelter, either of which might be what I was looking for. And, as you can see from the pic, I found a perfect one! He's about 18 months (or so they figure), and is purebred (so they figure) German Shepherd. He's extremely friendly and lovable--loves to play and loves affection.

He's wandering around the house now, sniffing everything. He had a delightful time in the yard, and had to mark every blade of grass (or so it seemed.) But this is going to be a short entry since I'm not certain just how housebroken he is, and I want no accidents.

So send me suggestions for boy dog names! Same criteria as before. Sorry, to the many of you who write suggesting Kismet as a name. I just don't think it would suit him. He's pretty darn Big (he's underweight now, but they expect him to get over 80 pounds easily.) They were calling him Duke at the shelter, but I don't really care much for that.

And he starts doggie school tonight, because I very much want him to be well-trained. I think we'll both be happier that way.

But I know I'm delighted to have found him and rescued him from the shelter. It's a no-kill shelter, but he'd been there since January, and the people there seemed to be pleased that he was going home with me. Apparantly a few low-lifes had come looking at him, wanting just a guard dog. And I do think he'll be more suited to my needs than the other dog would have been. Fate! (No, I'm not naming him that either!)