Lucky was our Christmas miracle. When we applied to adopt him we were told there were five others who had applied before us but they would take the application just in case. I got a call at work on December 26th asking for me to contact our vet to allow them to get records of our current pets. When I called them back to let them know I had given the vet permission to release records to them, they told me they had approved us either way. We picked him up after work the same day.
We thought he was a terrier mix because he looks so much like a Norfolk Terrier with long legs. My wife did a DNA test on him and it came back as mainly Miniature Pinscher and Miniature Poodle. Now that his hair has grown in and he is at a healthier weight I am able to see those breeds a little better.
His head is a bit wonky. His right ear is higher than his left and the right side of the mouth is slightly lower than the left. Because of this, he usually looks very intrigued, like he’s tilting his head a bit. Also, his right ear tends to fall inside out onto the top of his head.
When he was brought to our local Humane Society they posted his picture on Facebook in an effort to find his previous owner. The owner responded that they didn’t want him anymore because though they were a great owner, he kept escaping. When we brought him to the vet he was only 10 pounds, which was very skinny for a dog his size.
He did have a different name but we decided to name him Lucky because we were so lucky to have gotten him even though there were other applications before us.
Meeting The Family
When we brought him home I went out back with him to start sniffing the yard. My wife went inside to get Onyx so they could meet each other.
This wasn’t the first time Onyx had gone out back to meet a new friend. His oldest cousin Lillian came over a few weeks before then, and that was the first time they had met. So when Onyx went outside and saw Lucky he knew it was a new friend and got super excited. The two of them got along right from the first second they saw each other.
Storm was not happy with us bringing another animal into her house. She didn’t talk to us for a couple days. But she soon realized the benefits of having them both. When it was just Onyx, he would chase her around all the time and she barely had a moment of peace. Now that we have Lucky, the dogs both distract each other.
It started out that Lucky would try to chase Storm and Onyx would intercept and chase him. Then it eventually got to where they would only chase each other. Now Storm chases them sometimes. I guess she misses the good old days of playing with Onyx.
When we took him for his first vet appointment to get him checked out and get his shots they tested him for Lyme and found a trace of it. It was a couple hundred dollars for treatment and I had to bring him back a couple times during the process.
A few weeks after the treatment for that finished he had an ear infection. Because his ears are lopsided they tend to get stuck folded over or sticking straight up. After the price of medication for that we are much more vigilant in making sure his ears don’t get stuck folded over, especially when he is outside in the snow.
It wasn’t long before we got him up to a healthier weight. I suppose all the extra trips we needed to take to the vet did help serve the added purpose of us getting regular weigh-ins for him. He’s currently about 16 pounds. A little over a 50% increase in weight.
He also looks healthier and younger. When we got him his hair was very thin and he looked to be a couple years older than he actually is. Now that he is getting regular healthy meals, his hair is fuller and he looks like he’s only two years old.
Play Date With A Cousin
Once the snow had all melted we found a time to bring them both up to my dad’s house to meet his border collie, Sam. Onyx had already met him and knew how much fun it would be. Sam spends most of every day running around and Onyx alone is enough to tire him out.
Sam and Onyx were excited to see each other again and Lucky was happy to meet Sam. They all went inside and played for a bit.
Later in the day when we had them outside in the fenced in part of the yard I was taking Lucky around the border to show him where to stay away from so he could go without a leash. I thought since I had Lucky and was focused on him my wife would be paying some kind of attention to Onyx.
I suddenly heard, “Oh No, Onyx!” I turned around and Onyx had found a part of the chain link which was bent slightly and left a half inch gap above the grass. That’s apparently all the space required for an adult lab to fit under a fence. I had Lucky and nobody else made any attempt to stop him so he was off, running into the woods.
I threw the leash and ran out of the fence, hoping someone would at least grab Lucky, and ran into to woods. I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch Onyx but I needed to at least have an idea of where he was to track him down.
I got to a clearing and waited for him. He usually only runs so far before turning back to see why we aren’t still playing with him and I figured this would be a good area for him to do it since he would be able to see me easily.
Sure enough, it was only about 20 seconds before he came back into the clearing sprinting to me. I squatted down and started encouraging him so he wouldn’t turn back then got his collar. I pet him to let his know he was good for coming back and we started walking back.
That was around the time I noticed I bad stepped on a root or branch wrong and had to limp my way back. Luckily my wife had caught up with me shortly after and she helped me get him to the house.
My dad met us at the edge of the woods. He had gone inside to grab a shirt so I could change into it and leave mine if Onyx hadn’t come back.
We haven’t had a chance to bring them over again since then. But we will be going down this week and depending on the weather they may come with us.
Recent Days
Everyone seems to have adapted pretty well to living together. Every morning, Lucky wake Onyx and me up to let us know it’s time to go outside then eat breakfast. And if Onyx needs to go outside at all during the day Lucky will get in our faces and let us know. I just wish he would do the same when he has to go.
His favorite places to lie are between my legs when I’m lying on the couch, and forced between my arm and torso when I’m just sitting on it. On some mornings, especially when it’s cold, I’ll get up early and lie on the couch with him to warm him up a little before I go to work. Onyx will sometimes join us on the other couch. I try telling him he can be on the same couch but he always thinks I’m trying to get him to play.
A Life, Ensnared 