Someone recently suggested I start a blog to capture the exploits of my delicate snowflake, Vinnie. I don't know if I'll have the time or inclination to keep this going, but the seed of an idea has been planted so here goes...
Background: I adopted Vinnie, previously Kane, from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (www.awla.org) in February 2011. He had been a shelter resident for approximately six months at that point after being abandoned by an owner who refused to either pay the impound fee or agree to neuter the dog. I first met Vinnie in September 2010, and he became my running buddy shortly thereafter. After I lost my first dog to sudden illness that October, my bond with Vinnie/Kane gradually strengthened to the point that I couldn't see him going home with anyone else (although, let's be honest, after six months in a shelter he didn't exactly have adopters banging down his kennel door...).
Since then, Vinnie has charmed my anti-pet parents; become a regular at local emergency vet clinics; "graduated" (barely) from two rounds of obedience training; and made my life better and more frustrating than I could have every presupposed. Thanks to Vinnie, I became a charter member of the AWLA Pit Crew (www.facebook.com/awlapitcrew), which has allowed me to connect with so many amazing people and resources in the animal welfare community. He has also been a driver for our Walking Group, which is maturing into an awesome resource for dogs working on a variety of behavior issues (just like Vinnie!).
So what makes this "white ninja" (BF T's nickname for Vin) so deserving of a blog? He's 63 lbs. of nervous energy who can curl into a ball the size of a dinner plate. He's an IBS/pancreatitis sufferer with allergies to chicken and gluten and outdoors as well as sensitivities to fat, necessitating home cooking and daily Zyrtec and the most expensive of kibbles. He's what I optimistically call 'excited-reactive', which means the presence of another dog showing even a passing interest in him will result in either frozen downs accompanied by a frantically wagging tail or giant leaping spins (our big breakthrough was when he stopped ending a spin by landing ON TOP of the other dog and now completes it by landing with his butt directly in their face. Progress?). He kisses babies but is afraid of cats, tape measures, pool noodles, and statues. He is a champion chewer and, unfortunately, a swallower of pieces - most recently, the five-inch-long leg of a Huggable. He sheds like a mofo and is still a recovering submissive pee-er. He hates walking in rain or snow and avoids puddles. And yet despite (or is it because of?) all that, I love this little dude like crazy.
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