Adoptable Argus

Up until recently, I haven’t really worried about Argus finding an adopter. He’s such a great guy, so easy to have around, so sweet, so minus any serious hang-ups, I figured eventually someone would be willing to drive ‘all the way’ out to the Shenandoah Valley to adopt this guy.

But now we’re going on four months together and he’s still here. Still the same sweetheart. Still full-body waggling his happiness at the sight of me. Still obediently trotting into his crate for too many hours at a time.

He deserves better. He deserves a home of his own.

The only reason I can see why he hasn’t been snapped up is his preference for women (and children). He’s a bit shy about men. Not aggressive. Not dangerous. Just hesitant. It takes him a bit longer to feel safe around them. Meanwhile, he’s going to keep his distance, back away from any male hand that reaches for him.

It’s not his fault that he’s had a sheltered (literally) puppyhood and wasn’t exposed to men. I do think he could warm up to a guy eventually. I’ve watched him do just that with my son. But it didn’t happen in a day, it took weeks.

That’s his one and only ‘fault’.

Now that we have it out of the way, let’s talk about all his amazing qualities.

I have to start with something I really appreciate (seeing as I have five other dogs here, several of which are ‘trumpet-heads’, as Nick calls them) -Argus is a quiet dog. He doesn’t bark willy-nilly at nothing. I rarely hear a word out of him unless my dogs taunt him from the other side of the fence, and then that’s never a long chat.

Argus is phenomenal on a leash. We can walk for miles on a loose leash and he NEVER pulls or strains, just trots along happily at my side. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that either– as none of my three personal dogs can do that, even after years of training.

Argus is a funny guy. He’s curious and silly and adorable in a nerdy, kid kind of way.

Here is my very-amateur video attempt to show case him, but you can see some of his silly qualities.

Argus is warm and affectionate. Every single person who has spent time with him is smitten. They want him to win. They want to help him conquer his demons. He easily wins the affection of friends who meet him. I don’t know if it’s his endearing awkwardness, or the way he leans on you (in what I’ve always called a canine hug), but he’s easy to fall in love with.

Argus is a great eater and treat motivated. This is not a quality to be overlooked. All you have to do is meet my bad dog Gracie to know what a difference it makes. As a puppy and young adult dog (and pretty much all ages until recently when she’s become somewhat senile) she was not interested in food and couldn’t care less about treats. In fact, treats were suspect. Hence, my inability to teach her anything at all. Not come, sit, stay, don’t jump on people, or even don’t bite the UPS guy.

A dog that is treat and food motivated is easy to train. Argus is easy to train.

Argus is great about his crate. He goes in happily and willingly every time, doesn’t try to get out, doesn’t complain about being in there. I try not to talk to him much while he’s inside his crate, because at the sound of my voice, he starts with his full-on body waggle and his tail hits the sides of the crate hard. I don’t want him to end up with happy tail, so I mostly ignore him while he’s in his crate.

With my fostering set up, being crate trained is critical. I have three fosters at the moment. Thankfully, they all get along great, so they have lots of time out of the crates, in the yard, and in my office where they rumble and romp. They can’t be left unsupervised though, as all three are curious and prone to chewing. Which means, if I’m not in the office, they are either in their crates or in their yard. With the heat of late, it’s meant more crate time.

All three of my current guests are excellent in their crates. So peace reigns in my kingdom.

Still, it’s time for Argus to find a home. It’s time for someone to pick him. He’s been overlooked and overlooked for much too long.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s his name. There’s a reason shelter and rescue dogs have silly names – sometimes that’s the thing that catches an adopters attention. Argus is the name of a serious person, a Greek maybe. Not a silly, sweet pup.

Instead, maybe his name should be something like Spaghettio or Awesome Possum or Biscuit. I’m open to suggestions.

But what I’m mostly open to is someone adopting this darling dog. How about you? Do you have room in your heart and your home for this Awesome Possum?

If you do, apply to adopt at Operation Paws for Homes.

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on me, my writing, and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

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If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs . Or its follow up that takes you to the shelters in the south One Hundred Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues.

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