It’s the pitter patter of little feet around my house these days. Four of them!

Jack arrived today via the Roanoke Valley SPCA and he promises to be the most awesome dog. Of course, you can never tell when they are only 2 months old but there are signs that I think point to what I value most in a dog.

1. Attachment and loyalty – he cannot hardly stand to be out from under your feet and curls up right by them when you’re sitting at the desk or at the table.
2. Affection – he loves to be cuddled and to have his ears and neck rubbed, and he will give you an occasional lick on the hand as a token of his appreciation. He fell asleep in my lap this afternoon and guess what – he snores just like me!
3. Submissive -one sign of a good dog is whether they will allow you to hold them on their back….kind of like a baby. I’ve always been told it is a submissive behavior that dog experts look for when selecting guide dogs and service dogs. He loves it.
4. Trainable – even at this young age it is pretty clear that he learns commands such as “sit” and “come” very quickly.
5. Cross-Bred – ok, I love purebred dogs, especially labs and Goldens, but one benefit of having a beautiful mutt is that they often don’t suffer some of the recessive gene traits such as hip dysplasia that are prevalent in purebred dogs. Jack’s parents were pure-bred dogs, but one was a Weimaraner and the other a German Wire Hair Pointer. Both are great dogs and he seems to have gotten the best traits from both breeds.

I can’t thank the folks at the RVSPCA enough for the great care and love they show all of their animals. If you have never seen this facility, you really should trek out there, especially if you are contemplating getting a dog or a cat. It is a great place to find the perfect pet and you are doing your community a great service by starting there when you are in search of an animal companion. They also have a foster pet program which is what Jack was a part of. Caring people take these animals in and host them in a loving home until they are ready for adoption. I don’t know all of the specifics of what the RVSPCA does (and it is A LOT) but they are another reason that Roanoke is such an awesome community to live in.

So, like any proud new dog parent, I have a few pictures of the pup. I’m sure there will be MANY more to come.