Mendel is the best thing to happen to me in forever! Your finest volunteer, Charlotte came to visit me about another dog who was already adopted. She recommended "Little Foot" and I fell in love with him the minute I saw his sparkling face.
The next day we were approved to adopt him and we picked him up Feb. 28th (just got in before the leap year fuss) so his new birthday is Feb. 28th and he became 1 year old . We figure we're close enough. He entered the house as if he had lived here for years. Don't get me wrong, he bounced all over the place, but he seemed instantly comfortable. I fixed him dinner that night and he gobbled it up. We went outside for a walk on the leash and although he was everywhere at once, he didn't pull on the leash. I was told he was only housebroken inside on pads, that he had never been out until he stayed at the shelter. Well, he seemed to know exactly why he was out-out to take care of business and then a praising, rewarding walk to show off his brilliance.
In the past week Mendel has learned to go outside to take care of business, and obey some commands (sit, lay down, shake and if I can get his real attention-he'll stay.) My friend, Irv has two rescued cats, Amber and Topaz. We introduced Mendel to them a few times. The first time was completely uneventful, but the second time Mendel was already there in the house before the cats came home. Well, Amber fluffed out about three times her size, hissed and screamed at Mendel while he was trying to sniff and play. Topaz ( the older, wiser cat) jumped up on a dining room chair while Mendel could only stand there like an idiot bouncing up and down. Needless to say, the cats were glad when we went home.
The next day, Mendel was introduced to our preferred veterinarian. Not only was he instantly introduced to a man who was grabbing him everywhere (men scare him), but he had to sit in the waiting room for over an hour (an emergency came in) with several cats and dogs coming and going. All in all, he behaved very well, and he got an excellent bill of health. What a lucky Mom I am today.
To explain the reason for the name change-I wanted to name him Max. but there are already several Max's in the resort where I live. My friend Irv suggested Mendel, because it is "Max" in Jewish/Hebrew. Mendel likes his new name and no one around us or anywhere near us has a pet named Mendel that we know of at this time.
Thank you all for giving me the greatest gift of love anyone could ever want.
Janis Griffin, Mendel's new Mom!