Introducing Hal

This is Hal.  He is between 8 and 10 years old according to my vet, the shelter paperwork says he is 12.  He was in a kill shelter and Basset Buddies Rescue, who I volunteer for, needed a foster home so they could get him out of there.  I saw the post and that was it - the thought of him at 12 in a kill shelter just made me crazy, even before I saw his picture.  I talked to the Mr, and we decided we could foster him on a temporary basis, until a regular foster home had room so that they could spring him out of the shelter.  So the night before Thanksgiving, I drove about an hour and picked Hal up, I thought we'd have him for a couple of weeks, maybe until Christmas.  Hal however, had other plans.

I mean really, how could you say no to this face?  He doesn't do well with stairs, and is very skittish around young children.  It was hard to find another foster home that he would fit into, so we decided since we were happy and he was happy, we'd continue to foster him until he found a forever home. Hal still had other ideas, and Heidi completely agreed with him.

Wulfie didn't object to the idea very much either.

The cats even like him.  He's warm, and sleeps a lot, so they are perfectly happy to lay next to him.  It's like having their own personal heater.   It was becoming increasingly obvious that he was home and the humans were the only ones that wouldn't admit it.  So, I contacted BBR, and let them know that he was ours and we wanted to make it official.  His gotcha day is the day before Thanksgiving, because that is the day he came home. 

I can't say enough about how wonderful he is.  He is really calm and easygoing, doesn't mess in the house, he only barks if he has a reason, he is teaching Wulfie manners (!), he adores Heidi and has become a knight is shining armor for my fairy princess girl.  Heidi adores him right back, and Wulfie gets along with him very well.  He walks well on a leash, brings you a stuffie when he needs to go outside and is just a joy to have in our family.  

I used to think that I shouldn't adopt a senior because they won't be around long.  Hal has shown me how wrong I was.  Gunter passed away last year and he had just turned 7.  I have realized that you never know how long you are going to have with a dog, and the important thing to remember is to make the most of every single day that you do have. I will make sure to do that with all of mine, and every minute will count.  Hal says - It's about time you realized I wasn't going anywhere - you are almost as stubborn as a basset!!