Ahoy, Matey
25 September 2014 | Bayland Marina, Baytown, TX
Jill
Bud and I got another dog, or to be more precise, Bud let me get another dog. As much as we missed Fuzzy, being dogless was easier. And Bud, especially, anticipated easier sailing sans dog. But again, golf influenced my thinking. You see, Bud is getting pretty good at golf. And for those of you who know Bud, you know he tends to do things all out. So he would happily golf 5 or 6 days a week. As for my game, there're games where I no longer suck, and I will play golf once or twice a week 9 holes at a time. After that I can no longer perform the little bit I know and I really suck. Also, golfing seems to aggravate my plantar fasciitis. So I have started to do other things. I've been riding my bike, and I want to do a lot of hiking and kayaking. Bud, on the other hand, called his last hike with me a forced march and his hamstring started hurting again not long into our last kayak ride. I need to do some of these things alone. I do not feel comfortable hiking and kayaking alone, so my walks and paddles have been much shorter and more limited than I would like. Looking ahead to boating, I know Bud will want to fish, and again I will be left to explore on foot on my own. So a few weeks ago I told Bud I needed a dog.
His first reaction was very negative. He didn't want to replace Fuzzy and he didn't want another dog. I told him my reasons and said no more. About a week later when he wanted to golf for the third day in a row I said, "See, I really need a dog." He said nothing. Then one Saturday when he went golfing and I went biking he called me and said he'd been talking to Jamie and if I really wanted a dog I should look into it.
I wanted a poodle. I wanted a dog big enough to be a presence when I walked and small enough to get on and off the boat. I wanted to get a rescued dog. I started looking. One likely looking standard weighed 59 pounds and got motion sick. Another small standard was adopted before I got a chance to see her. A miniature listed as "medium" was quite small and when I called they said that he would not be a "presence" when walking.
Bud and I came down to the boat on Tuesday. On Wednesday we went to visit Poodle Rescue of Houston; I had been visiting their website. One of the dogs I thought would work had already been adopted, but there were a couple of others I thought might be big enough. We visited. We met Matey. We looked at all the other dogs and came back to Matey. I filled out the papers and the woman at the kennel went to get his file. She said there was a problem; Matey had been adopted a month ago and returned on Tuesday because they said he was not housebroken. He's about four years old, what did we think? I talked to Bud; he didn't know what to say. I could tell he liked Matey; the dog is quiet, but alert, friendly, but just a bit reserved. He seems quite bright. We decided to take a chance on him.
Matey's history as we know it: He was taken in as a stray in the Houston suburb of Pasadena. They called him Pierre because he was a poodle mix and called Poodle Rescue of Houston. They have had so many Pierre's they couldn't enter that name in their computer and someone renamed him White Angel. He is probably a poodle-bichon mix and they say he weighs 18 pounds, but he seems bigger than that. He had heartworms and was treated. He was already neutered when he was found. They put a microchip in him. When he was healthy again he got adopted and returned, now we have him. Since neither Pierre nor White Angel was really his name, we felt free, indeed obligated, to change it. He stayed nameless all the way back (an hour drive, where he rode quietly and dozed some). Bud suggested Spot. I said I'd thought of either Sailor or Salty, but they weren't right. Bud said we could call him Swabby, but that's what he calls Adler when he's aboard. Then I thought of Matey, and it's easy to say and seems to fit, so Matey he is.
Matey is very quiet. I heard him bark for the first time this morning when he saw a large bird on the dock. He is very interested in big birds. He does like to walk and although probably not formally trained is good on a leash. He is fine meeting other dogs. He was leery of the boat when we first put him down but has adjusted nicely. He has not had an accident. When he seems restless, we take him out. So far, so good. He has already thoroughly adopted me. When I went up to take my shower Bud said he was very nervous. He's smaller than I thought I would get, but after taking him on and off the boat a few times I realize he's as big as I'd want. He's my dog.
Oh, about this picture. I look bad in it, I was probably talking to Bud about the camera when he took it, but Matey looks more like himself than in any of the retakes, so this is the picture I want you to see.