Happy Tail Doc

On August 8th it will be a year since I picked up our new dog from your facility. I just wanted say thank you again and let everyone there know how he is doing. Y’all named him Leon and we renamed him Doc. My wife loves Greys Anatomy and they had a dog named Doc. He is our pandemic dog so his official, full name is Doctor Leon Fauci.
 
Doc is such a great dog. He is with me pretty much 24/7.  ( He has visited Dogtopia on a handful of occasions  and he absolutely loves going there if necessary). But he is with me most of time and is now well traveled. He makes frequent road  trips to Kentucky and Kansas as I help look after an aging parent and in laws. He is great in the car and rides quietly and calmly without ever needing any redirection.
 
He was a bit wild at times, terribly anxious,  and definitely a champion chewer when I took him home. He was also very well mannered on his leash and sweet and loveable and playful.   He is still a champion chewer but he now understands exactly which toys are his to chew on, (aside from my croc that he can’t seem to leave alone). We are able to leave him alone inside our home, roaming freely, for 3-4 hrs at a time without any destructive behavior (other than the croc) or disruptive, heart wrenching crying. He certainly is aware of all food and makes sure he is well positioned should any opportunities arise (can’t win if you don’t play) but if he begs or is at all rude or obnoxious he understands full well the command to go lay down and does so with just 1 or 2 gentle but stern directives.
 
I use a knee scooter, crutches and other mobility devices and he is so well behaved and polite and calm most of the time. He does still “zoom” pretty aggressively occasionally but it is much less frequent and he is no longer in some crazed dog , everyone else be dammed, mode. He definitely exercises some control and clearly makes efforts to burn the energy without sending us into tackle him or die mode.
 
He was very sweet natured and very playful when we got him yet he also was quite indifferent to us.  That has definitely changed.  He is now a total snuggle bunny.  And he very much seeks me out and doesn’t like for me to be out of his sight at home. We are just so thrilled to have him. As I recall, the day I adopted him I was told he had been adopted but then returned the next day. I think the reason given was some allergy. I suspect it didn’t take long for that poor family to realize that, despite his absolutely adorable face, they had bit off more than they could chew.  If I had still been working there is no way I could have handled him and taken him into our home. He truly did need constant attention.  And, to be clear, he still has work to do.
 
  I have been an amputee for over 50 yrs but I was facing a huge change in how I physically moved through my day.  The pandemic hastened my retirement but I was headed there fast anyway due to my long term wearer prosthetic problems. I needed him and I can say with confidence that he needed me, I not only had the right temperament but I had all the time in the world.  I knew it would take months for him to find the safety and security he needed in order to hear me and understand how I needed him to behave.  He seems as content as I am as we both settle into a new way of being. We are a perfect match. And he adores my wife and she adores him.
 
This dog is so unique and so special. I am stopped frequently and questioned about his breed. I am told over and over again, by seasoned dog owners as well as others, that they have never seen a dog quite like him.  We are pretty confident he is a Portuguese Pondengo Medio. I had struggled to find a dog I connected with in Austin and had expanded my search to kennels in a 150 mile radius. I had looked at hundreds of dogs in multiple kennels online. I knew the minute I saw his picture that he was my dog. I was pretty sure y’all photoshopped the picture, and probably with good reason. But I just fell in love that moment. It was too late in the day when I saw his picture for me to get there before y’all closed so I got up at 3am the next day and drove 3 hrs and waited an hr or two for y’all to open in order to be first in line and get him. I understand that he was pretty pitiful when y’all took him in. Malnourished, mangy, etc. I just want to say thank you again for taking him in and giving him the immediate care and attention he desperately needed. And for creating a system that allowed me to find him during a pandemic that changed everything for all of us.  Please know that your important work is recognized and acknowledged.  Doc brings so much joy, not only to me but to the people around me.   As I told your staff last year, when y’all contacted me for that sweet little follow up on the local news’ dog adoption segment,  Doc is loved and adored and cared for and always will be. Again, thank you so much. I wish I was in a position to offer financial resources to your kennel. For now, I know that y’all appreciate that we adopted him and that he is well looked after, and he is one less animal being mistreated, neglected and abused.  I always make sure everyone knows I found him there and that y’all run a fantastic operation.

If there is ever anything I can offer the Houston humane society I will do it without hesitation.  Again, thank you all so much.