Sunday Salon: We Interrupt This Blog to Introduce A Dog

Please meet newest member of the family! I don’t think he’ll be much of a reader, but he seems to have the makings of an excellent reading companion.

Bringing Chester home 11-8-2014 (The 3 Rs Blog)

Chester is a 3-year-old “petite golden mix” of Golden Retriever and something smaller–Cocker Spaniel or Corgi seem to be the most likely suspects. We met him last weekend, and officially adopted him and brought him home on Saturday, November 8. He came our way via Forever Friends Golden Retriever Rescue in Moorpark, California, and this is his backstory:

“This adorable three year old petite golden mix loves to receive cuddles and attention, and gives plenty of kisses in return. Chester’s favorite pastimes are chasing tennis balls and making a game of giving the ball back to his people, playing with his knotted rope, and getting walks – there is so much to sniff along the way! Chester’s ideal family would be one that is active and has the time to walk and play with him, he has a lot of energy! Although Chester is fine being left alone in the house, he is definitely a ‘people person,’ and always wants to be with his family no matter what they are doing – homework, watching television, hiking, whatever. Chester was surrendered to the rescue when his family had to leave the country for an extended period. As he hasn’t lived with children, we will not let him to go to a home that has children under age seven. Chester does not get along well with cats, although other dogs are ok. He knows his basic commands and is a fast learner – especially when treats are provided as incentive!”

Chester's favorite toy, 11-8-2014 (The 3 Rs Blog)
So far, he’s been living up to the press. He’s smart and good-natured, playful, and learns quickly. We’ve been pleasantly surprised to see that he doesn’t seem terribly high-strung, and he has behaved well at the pet-supply store, two outdoor shopping centers, and the dog park. He’s also already met our grand-dog, Bellatrix, and it looks like they’ll be friends. 
Meeting at the Dog Park, 11-9-2014 (The 3 Rs Blog)
(The dog on the picnic table is not Bel.)

Tall Paul is taking some time off from work this week to help Chester adjust to his new home with us, but if this weekend is an indicator, he may not have a difficult time of it. We do have plans to take training classes with him in the near future, and we’ll keep doing socializing activities with him. Our hope is that we end up with a dog that we can take just about anywhere dogs are welcome.

Man's (new) Best Friend, 11-8-2014 (The 3 Rs Blog)

I actually have several major work deadlines during the next couple of weeks, so I’m not able to take “pup-ternity leave” myself. And between those projects and Chester, I think I’ll have to lighten up on my blogging for a little bit. I’ll still participate in Nonfiction November, but I think I may change my approach to it by featuring nonfiction reviews and reflection posts from the blog archives. (What good is it to have nearly 2200 posts in your archives if you can’t dig back into them once in a while?)

Long-time readers here may remember Gypsy, and know that we’ve been without a four-legged family member for nearly five years. We’re very glad our “between dogs” period is over! You’ll see Chester here every now and then, and between Paul’s photos and mine, odds are he’ll show up pretty often in the #dogsofinstagram feed.

Chester's First Night Home, 11-8-2014 (The 3 Rs Blog)

Obviously, we’re not even bothering to try keeping this dog off the furniture.

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