Introducing Coda!!

We went to the animal shelter with the hopes of finding a furry friend for our 6 year old cairn terrier. The trip was a success! We were approved for a same-day adoption, and (after several hours) were on our way home with our new dog. Allow me to introduce you to the newest member of our family: Coda!

Coda in his safe spot. He hasn't wandered far from it... yet.

This is our first experience with a shelter pet. Mocha was the first pet we ever got together, and we went through a breeder to get her. So far, it's been a great experience :)

We drove an hour and a half to get to the shelter. We brought Mocha with us so we could do a "meet & greet" prior to making a final decision. Our first priority was to please little miss Mocha, who we thought would be the pickiest person to please. John & I had to take turns going into the shelter and staying in the car with Mocha because she was not allowed inside the facility.

We introduced Mocha to two dogs: Jeter and Dakota. Mocha seemed to get along with both of them very well. Jeter, who was absolutely adorable, was 19 weeks old. When he first came out of his kennel he submissively urinated... a lot. Poor thing was so scared! Mocha corrected him once briefly during their walk together.

Next we took Dakota out to meet Mocha. Dakota, a 6 month old male lab mix, was sweeter than ever, and so deeply scared. The associate had to carry him outside because he refused to walk out on his own. Mocha and Dakota sniffed and got along beautifully. We decided to go to the dog park across the street to see how they did off-leash. Mocha led the way, and Dakota followed. Their time in the dog park was excellent! That's when John & I decided that Dakota was our dog :)

New dog tags!!

After waiting two and a half hours for our application to get processed, we were approved! I went inside to sign the papers. But there was a little problem: the associate on the floor told me that Dakota was treated for an upper respiratory infection and that it had been resolved. This was not the case. Dakota still needed to take two antibiotics twice a day until July 5th. Do you still want to adopt this dog? John & I discussed it briefly and decided, yes, we still wanted to adopt Dakota. We signed the papers, got the meds from the vet, bought a crate, and made the journey back home with an extra passenger in the back!

Now you're wondering, "Who is Dakota and where is Coda?" Dakota is Coda. Dakota is the shelter name, which the associate recommended we change to avoid any negative associations. Besides, she said, it is unlikely that he even knows his name at this point.

We decided to name him Coda for three reasons: 1) It kind of sounds close to his shelter name. 2) The obvious (to us) musical reference. We are musicians, so a musical name makes sense. 3) There is a significance between the definition of a coda in music to Coda's journey. A coda in music is the final section of the piece. In Coda's case, he was previously adopted by another family and then returned to the shelter. (The reason they provided to the shelter was that they were "afraid he would have no feelings." ....what does that even mean?!?! I have no clue. I'm just glad that they brought him back because they obviously shouldn't have gotten a dog in the first place.) Coda has been on quite a journey to find his forever-home. We believe that he has completed the final steps in that journey by coming home with us. So, in a way, yesterday's adoption was a "coda" of sorts.

Mocha goes shopping at PetSmart for her little brother.

Mocha is being an awesome big sister. She is doing a great job of showing him the ropes around the house. This afternoon, John, Mocha & I went shopping to get some things for Coda (he couldn't come because of the upper respiratory infection). While we were at the store, we signed up for some training classes!! Yup, that's right, we're all going to be schooled :) We start with our first class on Friday, July 5th (assuming Coda is cleared by the vet). 

Hooray for our happy family of four! I have been dreaming of this for years now, and piece by piece... it's all coming together :') We just need one more thing to make it perfect...