GET UP, MOM! IT'S MY GOTCHA DAY!

Today is Peaches' "Gotcha" Day. A year ago today I adopted her from the Sacramento SPCA. Best thing I've ever done. I couldn't be happier to have found such a wonderful, loving little dog. She is the dog I dreamed of finding and such a dear companion to me. I wanted to do something special for her one year anniversary, so I decided to take her for a trip to PetSmart. The moment she realized we were going farther than the neighborhood park, the whining started in. I might as well have been taking her to the vet. She wanted no part of this adventure.

The moment I let her out the car in the parking lot, she immediately knew she was in a strange place and wanted right back in the car. Since I'd driven all the way there, I decided to try to get her to go in with me, anyway, and see if there might be some other dogs to socialize with. She did a crab walk all the way into the store, pressing herself down as low to the ground as far as she could go. A basset is pretty low to the ground to begin with! Because of her coloring, shape, and the odd way she was perambulating, she looked to be more badger than dog. The whooshing of the electric doors at the entrance terrified her. I tried to interest her in some treats and toys. Not interested. There wasn't a single other dog in the store for her to meet. I did manage to walk her up and down a few aisles before she decided she'd had enough of PetSmart and dragged me right out of there and back to the car. So much for new experiences. She's just a homebody, I guess. The moment we got back home, I offered to take her for a walk in the neighborhood. After a few sniffs cued her that she was on familiar turf, the tail went back up into wag mode and we were off for our walk around the long block, which she was quite happy with. I guess for Peaches, home is where the heart is. Mine, too, because that's where my dogs are.