I don’t often take my dogs to bars. It is important to socialize dogs. During the sports seasons, we take them to our kid’s soccer games in sets of two. During the academic year, I pick one to take in the car for the morning school runs. Outside of July and August, we take a couple out for a neighborhood walk. It’s too hot for that those months. While I would love to be a regular at a dog friendly restaurant, we have too many dogs and most of them are too young and excitable to settle at my feet through a meal. I daydream of having an older, calmer dog that can go anywhere with me. Someday. Labs are puppies for a looong time. Pen is just about to turn 2, and she is still a puppy. She is my oldest permanent resident dog.
A few days ago there was a fundraiser for Take Paws Rescue at The Bulldog, a local bar with a dog friendly outdoor terrace. It’s a great way to show off the adoptable dogs and raise money while socializing with other fosters. Whit is my Take Paws dog, so he got to go to The Bulldog. He was super excited in the car. I was pretty sure he would be a total pick up artist.
At the bar we met a very friendly Take Paws Rescue dog named Dodger, who is a regular with his mom at The Bulldog. Dodger moved around the terrace greeting everyone like it was his place. He made a really good impression. We felt welcomed.
If you are looking for a good wingman, Dodger is your dog.
A dog walks into a bar and says, I'll have a martini.................................shaken, with 2 olives. Sure, says the bartender, but, why the big paws? *Mike Lynch cartoon
Whit, so full of smiles on the car ride, stayed firmly in my lap at the bar. He wasn’t sure about the music and the crowd. It definitely seemed like his 1st time in a bar. After a while, he settled into a relaxed people watching mode. We were waiting. That night we also had a date with Bruce, a 1-year-old Catahoula in urgent need of a foster. Bruce was rescued from a negligent breeder (a 19-time repeat offender, unfortunately). Think about that if you buy a dog from a breeder. Ask them what they do with puppies that don’t sell, and with the females that can’t have another litter. A lot of them get dumped. A lot.
Bruce was rescued and was recently adopted, but by the wrong person.
Bruce is an active, large puppy. He’s about 60lbs of puppy. People don’t expect puppy behaviors from large dogs, because they don’t look like puppies anymore. Bruce is a very sweet dog who still needs lots of activity and socialization. Unfortunately, his adopter failed him. She changed her mind and decided not to keep him. He was at risk of being dumped at a shelter if a foster home was not immediately found. She wa
s told that owner surrenders are almost immediately euthanized because the shelters are overly full. (Strays are held for five days to a week depending on space available). She said he had to go.
It takes a while for a dog to settle in to a new home. And not every home is the right home for a particular dog. So we met Bruce at a bar, and he asked me, do you come here often? Not really, I said. Occasionally I bring a foster dog here, decked out in a bright yellow Adopt Me harness, here, meet Whit.
No, really, he came over to us and was just as happy and friendly as can be. On the way back to our car, we met a tiny little Russian girl outside of Bayou Burger, maybe 3-years-old, and he sat very still and calm while she petted him. We met a waiter and found out that Bayou Burger has a pet menu that includes roasted chicken, bacon, and frozen bananas and peanut butter. We will have to go back and check that out.
Then we brought Bruce to The Cecchine Hotel for Dogs and the fun began. All of our dogs came out to the yard to meet Bruce. It was around 7 in the evening. Around 9 or 9:30 they finally stopped joyfully zooming around the yard and came in to collapse in their crates for the night. They started running again at 6 am the next morning. The whole pack ran, all together. It was great. Bruce, we learned, gets along really well with other dogs, and he has a lot of exuberant energy. He would do best with someone who works from home. I don’t think he likes being alone, or being crated for long periods. I can imagine that his last brief owner got home from a long day of work and was overwhelmed by Bruce’s energy level. Maybe it would have worked out for her with an older, less active dog. This puppy wants to run and play. He will sit and go into his crate and he will come when you call him. He tries really hard to please. He loves attention, but doesn’t jump up in your lap for it. He has settled in nicely here. For a dog I picked up in a bar, he’s a good catch.
