I’ll end the suspense! Chooch, the Pooch, is now part of our family!Seems as though he’s been with us for years! He joined our ranks last Wednesday afternoon. Of course, at that time his name was still “Hank,” a name the Animal Rescue League gave him when he arrived as a stray. (He was microchipped and licensed. The owners were notified, but never came to pick him up! He’s been at ARL for a month.) We named him after Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz, that amazing catcher who plays for the Phillies! Good guy! Good dog!
So, if you’re not a pet person, you might wish to stop reading at this point. I understand, and I promise to be more inspiring next Wednesday. But for today – it’s all about Chooch.
He’s six years old, a lovely milk chocolate colored Labroador retriever with a distinguished gray beard. Looks like a purebred – thick, otter tail; big ruff; large chest; big “smart spot” on his forehead. Whatever he is, we love him. Bessie! Of course, it was her approval that sealed the deal! They act like an old married couple. She walks by and gives him a kiss in passing, and he sniffs…I won’t go into detail about what he sniffs! They’re dogs! She’s started to tease him the way she used to tease Buster, our big chocolate Lab who died a year a half ago, and whom we’ve all been missing – A LOT!!!
Chooch doesn’t bark, doesn’t get up on any furniture, is housebroken, sleeps in Buster’s bed next to Barry’s side of our bed. (Bessie sleeps in hers next to my side.) He loves to eat!!! Follows me all around the downstairs – and, yes, I’ve tripped on him and stepped on him several times. He’s very tolerant and just grunts! But most of all, Chooch wants to be hugged and petted – all the time if you have a free hand. When one of us sits down, he sits on the floor and leans against us and pushes our hand to be petted. He’s a living Huggable! It’s wonderful! A dog who just wants love!
He’s quite smart – as most Labs are – at least in our experience. He’s already learned to dance with me like Bessie and I dance with paws on my shoulders and wiggling to my off key crooning. He’s learning to wait before going through a door, and also before he approaches his full food dish. (That’s a REALLY hard one because he LOVES to eat, but he’s learning.) On the negative side – he would love to chase every bird, squirrel, and bunny in the neighborhood. We’re working on that, and he’s doing really well at controlling that urge. (Wish I could do as well controling my urge for ice cream!) He meets people with a wag of the tail and a smile. (Great smile!!!)
Did I mention that he weighs 83 pounds, 10 more than Bessie, and is about the same height. (Buster weighed 140 when we rescued him!)
So, there he is! Our Chooch! He’s found his “forever home,” as Meg said last week. He is our second rescued Lab, and we are believers!!!! There are a lot of animals at ARL looking for forever homes. (Meg just rescued Charlie, a charming cat with a Chaplin mustache – hence, the name!) Of course, he really chose her, just as Chooce (AKA Hank) chose Barry when he went to check out the chocolate Lab on the ARL website!
We’ve been looking for him for a year and a half. It was worth the wait!
If you’ve read this far, you must be a dog lover. Have a great week. I promise to return next week with more artsy, intellectual “stuff.” (yawn!) – am still reading LBJ’s bio!