My 1st Gray Story

Hi Everyone,

My name is Gray; at least that's the only name I remember. I'm a four year old gray and white dog found caught in a hog trap when I was only one. That ordeal over and my back leg healed, I found myself in a kennel in the Lockhart Animal Shelter in Lockhart, Texas. Not sure how long I stayed there but it might have been a while. You see my type of breed isn't very popular among most adopters. I'm a mix of pit bull and great dane with a lighter sprinkle of chow chow and shar pei. I'm not as tall as a great dane might be but I'm big.

It was so fortunate one day when a lady named Jennifer and her husband adopted me from

the shelter. Their home was full of love and care. Our home included other small dogs from time to time but I got along with all of them. I'm a bit choosy when it comes to adult men, but I'm drawn to women; especially. Jennifer and her husband fed me well, gave me lots of great tasting treats, toys, and flavored bones. Though we lived in small spaces, they took me for lots of walks and gave me lots of cuddles and hugs.

Like so many others in 2020, my family was affected by Covid-19. My parents lost their jobs and had to seek out employment wherever they could. As it happened, the new job location was far away in Washington, D.C. Though my parents tried and tried to convince landlords and property management to accept me into their rental spaces, it just wasn't going to happen. Little did I know what a dilemma it was to my parents. My extended family helped out as much as possible and posted a plea for a good, loving home on a smart phone application known as Next Door. It gets the word out to those that live in the near vicinity of what's going on, who is who, and what needs are in the community. That's how my parents found me a new home in Leander, Texas.

Though I'm a hefty 108 lbs., I'm what my new aunt, Jennifer calls a "gentle giant". That's great because my new home already has two small dogs and two small cats. I had never been close to a cat before. I found them interesting but not worth chasing. As to my two new canine siblings, I'm interested but wary; especially of that feisty red-haired Pekingese. What happened to her nose? That must be why she's so fussy.

Unlike my calm demeanor, Penny is food aggressive, jealous of her position in the canine pack, and disagreeable toward me. For the last four days, I've made it a point to leave a lot of space between myself and my canine sister.

Elvis is older and doesn't appear to see very well. He's been curious of me but he's not fussy except when I approach my adopted Dad while Elvis is in his lap. Oh well, its safer to stay around Mom or on my safety blanket.

My days have been full of exploring the large house, the yard with the tall fence they call the East Garden, and the fenced back yard with the pool. There are so many plants in that back yard and at different levels. There's a long ramp on one side that I love to run and jump on. I smell lots of new smells in this new home. There's a smell of deer, raccoons, possums, coyotes, foxes, skunks, and more. So many large birds swoop down and around that its fun to watch. Across my new backyard I see a lake and people are always walking around in that area. Some of the people are in kayaks and some are fishing on a large semi-circular pier I can see from my backyard.

My new Mom takes me for walks each day. I usually walk close beside her but sometimes I just can't resist a little side trip to smell some new smell. She lets me stop every once in a while but I get the feeling I'm not supposed to stop on these walks. I wonder if she's ever heard the advise to stop and smell the roses... or raccoons... or deer?

At night my canine siblings like to sit with my parents but I know its not polite to sit on the furniture. Instead I curl up close by on their nice rug or on my blanket waiting for the time when we all go to bed. Then I head outside for one last short visit and on to my crate for some peace and quiet.

So far so good.... Oh, and a little message to my last family, don't worry. I'm getting very used to this new family and think I will like it. Thank you for working so hard to find this new home for me. My new Mom said she would send you pictures and let me tell my stories to you. I hope you are all safe and happy, too.