Photo courtesy of Mike Delaney at Yankee Services
February 1997
We hadn't planned it. It just happened. I'd visited the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter a couple of times over the past week. It's a nice new facility, packed full of abandoned and unwanted animals. I wanted Amy to visit a few times to get used to the idea of perhaps bringing home one of the dogs, so we arranged to meet for lunch, and then take a quick walk-through of the shelter to see what they had.
Riley stood out. Most of the dogs were dark colored, and of course many were excited and barking. Riley was a beautiful honey blond and white, and was standing quietly in her cage. Shy, but not terrified. Obviously she was not crazy about having a man around, but just as obviously she was immediately interested in Amy. We went on to visit all the inmates.
Amy decided she might like to get to know Riley a bit better, so we carefully got her to come out of her cage and walked her outside. Calm and controlled on the lead, she and Amy hit it off right away. In no time we had the application filled out. Simple as that.
She's a medium-sized dog, about 35-40 pounds. A little bigger than we were looking for, but she's quiet. She's also quite a leaper, and I think she might make a good Frisbee dog. But first we have to overcome a little problem. She's scared of me. Actually, not just me but men in general. I don't know her background, but perhaps she was abused by a man as a puppy. We're already making progress, but I can tell it will take some time. She and Amy are already inseparable.
June 2002
After more than five years, it's about time I updated this story. Riley has been a great dog. She's still shy, especially around men, but she's overcome enough of her fear that she can still enjoy being out when there are other people around. She had been returned to the shelter at east once because the adopter couldn't deal with her shyness, and the submissive urination that often resulted from her anxiety around men. It took about six months, but with a little work on her self-confidence this behavior all but disappeared.
Riley has grown some since she was a puppy. We figure she was about six months old when she joined us, and so got longer, taller, and heavier. She weighs about 60 pounds now. She never did figure out the Frisbee thing, but like to chase birds, and the occasional ball.
January 1998
Our latest edition, joining the family on December 12, 1997, came from the same shelter as Riley. There's not really much story behind our impulse to pick her up. Amy saw her advertised in the paper, mentioned this to me over lunch, and we went directly to the shelter to check her out. It was her name that caught Amy's attention, and though she was a little overwhelmed when we met, she came home with us.
She had spent her first nine months in a backyard, her only human contact coming for a few brief moments each day with her food and water. She has been a handful to train, but she has come along quickly. Blessed with a lot of intelligence, once she figured out the best thing she could do for herself is to attract favorable attention she has become a sensitive and, usually, very good dog.
June 2002
The comment I made, several years ago now, concerning Bailey's intelligence was an understatement. Bailey is highly intelligent, and as is frequently the case, also very strong willed. She's certainly trainable, but sometimes requires persistence and patience. She responds well to strong leadership, so I can see how she might have been a handful for some people.
Bailey has also grown some since she was a puppy. We figure she was also about six months old when she joined us. She weighs about 65 pounds now, and needs a lot of exercise to keep her weight down. She has turned into a enthusiastic, if not terribly skilled, ball player.