Fergus (formerly known as Bob)
A little over a year ago, our lives changed forever as we welcomed a cyclone of red and white fur and freckles into our home.
Fergus (formerly known as Bob), came to live with us on May 25, 2011. I don't know much about his past. Just that he was given over to the Humane Society in Kingston, Ontario, by a couple going through a divorce, when he was 9 months old. And that he had PILES and PILES of energy!
Which is why ARPH wanted to place him with my family. I am sure that I mentioned at least a hundred times during my telephone interview that I am an extremely active person and that I wanted an active dog to keep me company on my athletic adventures. As a year-round outdoor runner, I was looking forward to someone sharing the dark, snowy streets of winter with me, not only to keep me company but to keep me safe as well!
And then along came Fergus.
It has not always been easy. Adjusting to a dog with so much pent up and unreleased energy was a very difficult thing. During those first couple of months, my husband and I must have looked at each other a dozen times with a "What the heck did we get ourselves into?!?" look on our faces. But we made a commitment to this dog, and there was no way that he was going to end up back in rescue on our watch!
And so, we armed ourselves with patience, a fabulous dog trainer, and hours and hours of energy-draining activity. (Seriously, hours and hours and hours of bike-riding, swimming, running, walking, playing fetch, hiking, snow shoeing... You name the activity and we've tried it in our bid to tire him out!!!) The result is a fabulous furry companion, who takes us on many an adventure, and who leaves us laughing hysterically at his antics along the way. You can even follow these antics on my blog: Herd in the 'Hood, at http://herdinthehood.blogspot.
I think a lot about where Fergus came form and how far he has come, and I am so thankful for ARPH. Because of his high energy levels, I know that Fergus is the kind of dog that would have gone form shelter to home to shelter to home to shelter to home, until he would have been deemed unadoptable. If it weren't for ARPH pulling him out of the shelter and taking the time to match him with the right family... well, I don't really want to think about what would have happened to him. Suffice it to say that I am really glad that, through this organization, he got a second shot at life. And my husband and I have an even more perfect family now that he is a part of it.
We love you, Fergus!
