His name is Tyke!

I am, as of 3:30 this afternoon, the proud owner of an 11 month old American cocker spaniel named Tyke. He is black all over except for under his tail, where he is white, which looks very cute.

I was very unsure about getting another dog when I found out about Jesker's tumor. At first I thought I wouldn't get another dog at all, but then I thought I would be awfully lonely without one and that I would very much miss the company and the routine and the loving care. Then I thought I would wait until Jesker was gone and that seemed like a sensible idea, but out of curiosity I started to visit the websites of all the local dog kennels and, of course, there were all the usual dogs there that nobody wanted. German shepherds, pit bulls, Jack Russel's, the usual assortment. I was not interested in getting any of those dogs.

This morning I went to the website of a kennel in Heerlen, which is a town twenty minutes away from here and saw, between all those dogs I didn't want, this wonderful American cocker spaniel. I couldn't believe it. It was a new dog and up for immediate adoption. I tried to put it out of my mind for a few hours, but couldn't and I kept thinking about that dog that was sitting there waiting for me. The problem was that I didn't have a ride, but then I remembered that I could call my friend Yvonne, who is a big dog lover herself, and ask her if she would take me there to pick up the dog.

I called her up and explained the situation to her and she was more than willing to take me there. She had planned to do the same thing when her dog before the one she has now died, but he died so suddenly, that she did not get a chance to pick out another dog until afterwards. She wanted to have another dog while he was still alive to ease the pain, so she understood what I was doing. Well, what really motivated me was the chance to get a good dog and they don't come along often. Just once in a while you see a dog like that at the dog kennels.

We drove over there and needless to say it was love at first sight. Here he was sitting in his cage with his sad looking eyes, but eager to make contact and very alert. The woman that worked there put him on a leash so I could get to know him better and he was all over me and all over Yvonne. He was so happy to be with people. I asked all the usual questions and was soon satisfied. Of course, we had to do all the paperwork and he had to get a chip in his neck with my information in it, but all in all it was a fairly painless operation.

Nobody needs to worry about Jesker not being a dominant dog, because he his. He made it clear from the start that he is in charge and that Tyke comes in second place. Anything Tyke can do, he can do better. He even steels his food and his toys, things he normally pays no attention to whatsoever. Dried dog food that he doesn't like. Rawhide bones that he never chews on. Tyke did manage to demolish one tennis ball on his own on the sofa. That took him about half an hour, so I need to get better balls. Well, everybody needs those. The cats let him know they weren't scared of him, so that was settled very quickly.

So, we have a new addition to the family and it will take some getting used to, but he is as cute as anything and listens well. We'll grow on each other in no time and do some real bonding, which he is very good at. He is very enthused when it comes to showing his love.

Oh, I don't like my template and I think some of you don't like it either, so I'm going to change it. The only one that comes close to the toad template has an animal on it that is very slow and sluggish, which may be appropriate for me, and it carries it's house on its back, which I think I do in the sense that I carry all my troubles with me. Also, I do like to go into hiding, just like this animal. I just hope it doesn't turn you off. I think it is just the least bit endearing and don't think of escargot.

Have a good evening, at least what's left of it. I've got to change my template and cuddle with both my dogs.

Ciao.