…is that you might not want to give the pup back. I knew it would happen to me eventually. Turns out it was foster pup #8. I’m now her permanent human. She and I have kept the name the humane society gave her–Myrtle. I never would have come up with that name on my own, but it’s adorable and fits her perfectly.
When I first picked her up from the humane society, she was 4-5 months old, and had demodex, a non-contagious mangy skin condition. She was missing much of her fur. She was uncomfortable, but had a sweet disposition anyway.
It got worse before it got better. 
But the humane society clinic vets are awesome and gave us the right Rx, and in another week we started seeing gradual improvement, so that by week 3 she was really getting her fur back.
This set of pictures was supposed to be for her adoption profile page. But she was already starting to win me over.
She loves rawhide chews, furry squeaky toys, cardboard, and plastic milk containers. These days when I take the milk containers to the recycler, they are partly broken down already. 🙂
She made this mess when she was about 6 months old. She is now almost 8 months, and 44 lbs, and still this serious and industrious about her play. When she is playing, it sounds like there is a basketball scrimmage going on in the room. There is a daily carpet of chewed cardboard and plastic stuff for me to sweep up.
She’s a growl-talker. She talks to me all. the. time. I’m still trying to learn what she is telling me most of the time.
She’s a quick learner, but *cough* hard of hearing when she’s in the yard and I call her back to the house and she doesn’t want to come in. 😉
She has an insatiable love for playing tug-of-war. A tennis ball in a sock is the best for that. Here she is with her ball & sock, telling me it’s time to play. 
She loves taking walks on the leash, which is less a walk than her dragging of me down the street. Once we have the leash walking routine worked out, I think she’ll be my first dog ever to be a good running buddy.
Breed? She has to be part Labrador, because she has webbed paws, and she’s a water dog. I’ve already had to pull her from icy lake water. I was a terrified foster mom, and she was a cold scared puppy. That may have helped to form the bond. I think she is also part pit and/or boxer.
She likes riding with me in the car, so when I reach for her Kurgo seatbelt harness, she goes wild. But once in the car she calms down and is great at riding shotgun.
She has her own ‘girl cave’…
Because she does great at home alone, I rarely close her in the girl cave. But, I do regularly drop treats and toys in there for her to find, so she thinks of it as her ‘happy place’.
So anyway, you’ll see more of Myrtle now and then.
Hopefully, this doesn’t mean the end of my fostering, but it will limit the doggos I can foster. No more tiny ones, or contagious conditions.
run | sew | read 
AWWWWW!!!! I don’t blame you for falling for Myrtle one bit, I did too while reading this post! What a little sweetheart and her growl talking melted my heart! I’m so glad you adopted her and she has you as her awesome permanent mom!! ❤💜🧡💛💚💙
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Thanks from both of us! She and I were buddies from the start. I think it’s true that the doggo picks you, not the other way around. I’ve heard that about cats, too.
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It’s definitely true of cats as well! With the three cats I remember my family having when I was growing up – none were planned, all just wormed their way into my parents hearts and made it home. 🙂 With our dog Tansy it was the same, they planned on getting a small dog but fell for this great big sweetheart German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix. She was such a funny, kind hearted dog. Animals friends are the best. ❤
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So true about animal friends. They are buddies for life. A German Shepherd/Rott would be awesome. I wasn’t looking for this size or type of dog either. I’ve always wanted a beagle, but other dogs ‘adopted’ me instead. 🙂
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Awe….I love your story too! She looks at you so adoringly. ❤
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Thank you! That adoring look can be deceptive and mischievous. 😉
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😀
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Myrtle…great old name. That one pic with the mess is classic. She is adorable. She doesn’t look like the same puppy from when you got her because of what she had…
Lobo… another one of my sisters records that I heard often…I defy anyone to listen and not to be humming it, singing it or thinking of it afterward.
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Thanks! There is a smaller version of that mess almost every day. She loves plastic and cardboard. I’m thinking of getting a big push broom, haha.
The Lobo song came on as I was writing this post, and I thought ‘how perfect’. I agree, it’s a must hum or sing along.
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They are worth all of the growing pains as you know…a friend for life.
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Yes, absolutely! You’ll be getting another one, right?
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We are targeting spring. We are going to a Rescue or adoption for a Saint because so few people can give a home to those and we are equipped for a big dog.
I’m sure we will pick up another dog also a long the way. The house isn’t right without a dog.
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That’s great. I’ll stay tuned. I agree, it’s so much better with a dog companion in the family.
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