“On January 28, 2021, we brought this handsome guy to his fur-ever home! There is a lot to be said for me to jump into something like this – I love my white carpet, my clean house, and my freedom to come and go at the spur of the moment. We’ve been without a dog for 2 years, after we sadly had to say goodbye to our Bella. I have looked at literally hundreds of dogs since then and none of them set my soul on fire like this guy did with just one goofy picture on his profile. When I saw his profile on the Lawrence Humane Society adoption page, I fell in love instantly. I began stalking his profile for over a week before finally giving in and telling John that “this was the one, I had to have this dog.” And so the process began…with COVID, adoption appointments are scheduled the same-day only so I was hoping that I could get more info about this goofus. When I called, I got the shelter’s voicemail. They asked to leave the ID number for the animal you’re interested in and your contact information. When I went to look up his animal ID number on the website (which I paid absolutely no attention to even with stalking him for over a week), it was A-041979. My heart skipped a beat! What are the chances that this dog, the one I had looked at, and fell madly in love with from a single picture had this ID number? My birthday is April 07, 1979 and his ID number was 041979. I didn’t need any more proof but I knew Scooby was meant to be my dog. The adoption counselor called back and we talked about our history with Bella and our circumstances we had with her. We chatted about the fact that I had looked at so many dogs and moved on, feeling like they just weren’t quite right. And of course, I had to mention that Scooby’s ID number was my birthday. She put a hold on him for us and scheduled a visit for the next evening so we could meet this guy. My heart was so happy!
The next few hours were agonizing. I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning! I couldn’t sleep, it was the longest day EVER at work, and the longest 30 minute trip to the shelter! Here was our plan heading to LHS…we would meet him just to MAKE SURE, pay for a 24-hour hold until Friday, and then ensure we had everything ready to go before we’d come back the next day to pick up our fur baby. But the first meet went so well, I couldn’t bear to see his sad face if we walked away from him even just for one more day. I had to bring him home that night, even if everything wasn’t just so. The first few days were rough as Scooby had so much energy and confusion with yet another change in location! Walking him on his leash felt like I was being pulled by a plow horse. He also had a couple of manners that were less than desirable. We dug deep inside ourselves for patience and remained empathetic for all the changes he’s been through. Boy – it sure paid off! We decided we wanted to know more about Scooby so we had a DNA test done and it showed he is a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Bulldog mix. It was exciting to see how his personality traits fit with his breed. He favors the Rhodesian Ridgeback in both looks and personality, for sure.
Fast forward 45 days and wow, what a journey it has been! Scooby goes to daycare every day to help burn off all his amazing, spunky energy. He very much loves his routine. Mom gets up, let’s him out, feeds him breakfast, then he take a quick morning nap before it’s time to wake Dad up with his wet-nosed Scooby kisses. Dad takes him to daycare and he gets SO excited to go for a car ride and he loves to play with all his friends! All the staff love him at his daycare, too. In the evening, he knows the routine as well. Whether we are heading to bed or not, at around 10pm, he goes to sit by the door to go outside. When he comes back in, he goes right to his kennel and looks at me with a goofy head tilt waiting for his bedtime treat. We don’t hear a peep from him for the rest of the night! Scooby has the sweetest personality any dog could ever have and he just wants to dole out all his puppy love! He thinks he’s a little tiny 8 lb lap dog (even though he actually weighs nearly 100lbs) but the silly boy just wants to be close to his people. He loves going for walks and after a little bit of leash training, walks are so incredibly pleasant now! He enjoys strolling the trails and sniffing up all the smells the world has to offer. He absolutely adores children and will cuddle on the floor or sit patiently to let them pet him. Scooby gets to go on so many adventures with us – whether it’s just a quick trip in the car, a walk in the woods, or a trip to the park, he just loves it all! He will only play ball with dad, probably because dad is the “good cop” in the house. But mom takes him to Starbucks and he sure does love the amazing “pup cup!” He knows when we pull in the drive-thru that he’s only moments away from getting an amazing treat. He also helps me make homemade “Scooby Snacks” His favorites are sweet potato/peanut butter treats, and fro-yo apple jack snacks! I’ve also makes him so many bandanas – he probably has 40 of them! As soon as he comes home from daycare, he heads over to the “Scooby Scarf” drawer for a fresh new look. You’ll notice in the pictures he likely has a different bandana in each of them!
Scooby + his adorable, extensive bandanna collection
Scooby has quickly learned and mastered basic commands. We are looking into enrolling him in the Canine Good Citizen program soon so he can visit nursing homes and hospitals. We are so proud of how he’s settled in our home and he’s the best dog that we’ve ever owned. This beautiful creature has definitely found his fur-ever home! He’s quickly become my best friend and my soulmate. I’ve never loved an animal with the intensity that I love this guy! I believe in my heart that this dog’s purpose was to bring a certain life and energy back into our home – something we didn’t even realize we were missing. We’re so excited for the many adventures ahead like this summer, we’ll see if Scooby likes camping! We have a wonderful camper and can’t wait to spend some time in the great outdoors with him.
Thank you, Lawrence Humane Society, for your part in bringing our boy to us. It was the best decision we’ve ever made and we believe it was truly meant to be!
– Nicole R.
