Meet Luke
Say hello to the newest member of the family, Luke.
The girls have been asking for a dog for, well, ever. I told them this winter that in May, after most of my travel for the year was over, we would get one. A couple of weeks ago we visited an adoption day in front of PetSmart and found this fellow. Luke is friendly, well behaved, and adorable. Also, “medium and fuzzy,” which was Lily’s only request.
He’s between a year and two years old and seems to be an Australian shepherd mix, with maybe a little Australian cattle dog (the freckles) and something else, maybe Pekingese, to account for the short snout and underbite.
Having Luke has meant a change for my schedule. I’m trying to leave work by 4pm most days so I can get home and walk him. So far, he’s been great by himself at home during the workday. He leaves fur all over the couch, but he hasn’t had any accidents or chewed up anything significant, at least not while I’m at work. He did pee on the couch leg while I was watching him once, and he got a strong “bad dog!” for that. Our only chewing casualty has been one of Lily’s headbands. I heard a strange crunching noise and looked down to see Luke chewing and the headband in pieces. All in all, not a bad first two weeks.
He did cost me a wallet, however. He has a habit of rolling over and showing his belly when he greets me, and, when he hasn’t peed in eight hours, that can result in a bit of a mess. One afternoon this week I got sprayed and tossed my work clothes straight in the washing machine, not realizing my wallet was still in there. The wallet and my to-do list didn’t survive the experience, although my cash and credit cards are very clean.
My evening walks with Luke have become one of my favorite parts of my day. I moved to Fieldstone Farms in December, just before that stupid-cold winter set in, so I hadn’t really seen much of the neighborhood or met my neighbors. But now, with the leaves back on the trees and a dog at my side, I’m really enjoying exploring the neighborhood. I’ve met a few neighbors, including someone who also works at Vanderbilt whom I didn’t know lived out here.
The girls love Luke. Hannah is, as I expected, very responsible. And Lily warmed up to him quickly, I think because he doesn’t jump (much) and doesn’t make much noise. They have fun throwing the tennis ball in the backyard and watching him chase it down. They enjoy our afternoon walks with Luke when they’re here. And Hannah, at least, seems to like it when he sits next to her on the couch while she’s reading or watching TV.
Last weekend, we took him to a dog park for the first time. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, we tried the dog park at Harlinsdale Farm, just a few minutes away by car. Luke had a blast roaming off his leash and chasing down tennis balls. He’s very fast. Harlinsdale is a beautiful setting, but not a huge dog park, so we tried the Freedom Run dog park over near McKay’s Mill. I lived in McKay’s Mill for four years, and we would often walk by the dog park on our way to the playground up the hill. I never had a reason to visit until now! It’s a good dog park, too, with plenty of room to run. At both dog parks, I chatted with other dog owners, something I was looking forward to in getting a dog — meeting new people.
(After listening to Welcome to Night Vale for the last year, it’s hard for me to talk about visiting a dog park without a little bit of dread. I can report that neither dog park featured mysterious hooded figures or Intern Dana.)
We took Luke to the vet on Thursday. Other than some growling at the vet tech, he did great. (We’re thinking he was defending his family. Not sure why he didn’t see the vet as a threat, too.) He’s in good health and now has all the vaccinations, heart worm medicine, and flea and tick prevention he needs. His breath still stinks, but we’re working on that. And he sheds. A lot. But that’s a small price to pay for such a great dog.
