Mickey

We picked up foster dog #11 this afternoon, a 6-year-old lab mix whose owners surrendered him because they were overwhelmed by the combination of baby + dog + high-travel job for dad.

Mickey is curious and smart and reasonably cooperative. He reminds us all of our first foster dog, Champ, only without Champ's reactivity.

We have figured out what works best for us in a foster dog: we like them to be adults but not geriatric, because puppy energy gets old in a hurry. We prefer owner surrenders to strays or dogs from neglect/hoarding situations. Usually they're good dogs who understand how to interact with people, and who just need TLC during a big transition. Strays and neglected dogs require more civilizing, which is more work for everybody.

We seem to have a net level of enthusiasm for the idea of a permanent dog that is not quiiiite high enough for us to pull the trigger on adoption. I was just about ready to adopt Charlotte, but Pete didn't love the idea. Pete is gung-ho about adopting Mickey, and I'm the "...hmm, let's wait and see" person.

But Mickey seems like a very pleasant temporary dog, mellow sometimes and playful sometimes. Lab mixes are popular enough that he probably won't be here for long unless we take the plunge and apply to adopt him. We'll see how it goes.