Meet Roscoe, at least that is his name now. Not sure if we are keeping it yet though it kinda suits him. He is believed to be around 5 yrs old and a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog mix.

I have been in a complete downward spiral since the loss of Zero. The house is too quiet. I cry daily. Even with the new addition I still cried last night. Zero can never be replaced. I was not even sure I wanted another dog for a while. Everything is so up in the air around our house. The smart thing to do would be to wait. No one ever said I was smart though.

He is a bit bigger than we planned on. I was looking for a Blue Heeler. I had been talking to a rescue and been going back and forth. Meanwhile my approval finally came through for Brody and I to begin volunteering at the local animal shelter. My plan was not to adopt from the shelter but to nurture my son's love for animals and see if going down that rabbit hole was going to set the path for his future. While we were there we got the tour and the ins and outs of how stuff works. Due to Brody's age we are limited in what we can help out with. We had a bit of down time so we stood at the main desk and listened to the officer answer questions. I got to chatting with her about different dogs and rescue agencies. I told her the personality I was looking for. I want 2 dogs but I want my first one to be very active. I am looking for another running partner like Zoe was. She said she knew a perfect dog for me in the Jail Dogs program. She pulled up his picture and told me a bit about him and what they do over at the jail. The inmates are trained to train shelter dogs to make them fit for adoption. Kind of a win win for both animal and inmate. I went home and talked to my husband about it and we filled out adoption paperwork. I got the call first thing Monday morning I had been approved. I was then directed to a video on their facebook page of Roscoe and his handler. That was it. We were sold.

I met officer Walker at the jail at 3 pm. I was immediately taken aback by his size and strength. He has got some pull but is mostly a gentle giant. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. He know most of his commands. He does not know "come" or his name. We are working on "heel" but he knows "stay" and that is a big help. He is a bit timid at first. He is going to take some time to figure us out.

He bonded with Shane right away. He is trying to establish dominance. We got to stay firm with this one. He already figured out who is the alpha. This was supposed to be my therapy dog but I think my husband has a new shadow instead.

I can't wait for it to stop monsooning outside so we can go on some adventures. He does not seem to mind the rain too much but is not a fan of the towel. With some cookies in hand he responds much better to the rub downs. They said he was crate trained but I did not have the heart to leave him in it all day. I figured the kids could put him in it when they left for school. No dice. Apparently he did not leave the front door since I left. He could not even be coaxed with cookies. I am now staring at my camera app on the phone and checking in on him. So far so good from what I can tell. I can't see the whole house but 2 hours in and we are ok. I may be skipping my lunch meeting to run home.

He is very toy driven. Brody has to keep his stuffed animals in check. He has already tried to jump onto anything my husband sits on. He slept in our room on his bed and did well except for the dog farts. I am hoping that is nerves and not a permanent thing. I can't wait to see how things go from here.

My favorite things so far are the blue specks in his eyes, his lopsided ears and his HUGE paws.

Welcome home boy!