Domino Doggie

Name: Domino
Born: November 2005
Sex: Female
Breed: Boxer

Domino holds a special place in my heart (and obviously, the title of this website), as she is my first dog. Growing up, my mother was decidedly a cat person, so it wasn’t until I’d moved out on my own & had enough money to support a dog that I could even begin to seriously consider one. I actually found her quite by accident; I went to Capital Area Humane Society looking for a dog for my then-boyfriend, and stumbled upon Domino (then a 8-month-old puppy named “Bell). It was love at first sight, for both of us. She crawled into my lap and I was sold. After my ex decided not to adopt her, I couldn’t get her out of my head and ended up going back and adopting her as my own.

She’d been abused previously, and her previous owner had kept her in her crate most of the day, which had created in her some severe separation anxiety. She also had a deep fear of men, and both of these issues created a huge challenge for a first-time dog owner like myself. Thankfully, with some trial & error and a lot of patience/dedication, she has gotten to the point where she’s much more secure, well-behaved, and is a happy & healthy addition to my family.

Name: Indiana Bones
Born: Fall/Winter 2005
Sex: Male
Breed: Shar Pei Mix

Indiana is a relatively new member of my family; my boyfriend & I adopted him in November of 2007. We went to Capital Area Humane Society on impulse one day, just to see what was there & to give some of the pound puppies some attention and play. We’d already decided that we wanted another dog sometime soon, and we had settled on either another Boxer or a Shar Pei, after doing some research on various breeds. So when we wandered by Indiana’s cage (then named Cody), we couldn’t resist taking him out to give him some treats & attention.

For whatever reason, Indiana immediately bonded to me. There were two other families there interested in him, but (much to their chagrin), it seemed he was only interested in me. He’d even cower a bit when others approached him, but when I had him, he opened up and got very snuggly and playful. I immediately fell in love with his quiet demeanor, snugglebug tendencies, and the fact that he behaved well around other dogs and cats just convinced me further that he was a perfect match for me. I filled out the paperwork, and within two days, his year-long stay at the pound had ended (I still have no idea how such a wonderful dog had gone overlooked for an entire year).

He’s settled in wonderfully at our house, and he and Domino get along amazingly well. They spend most of the day playing and cuddling, and when he isn’t having fun with her or chewing on his rawhides, he’s continued his initial favoritism towards me. While he obviously loves my boyfriend, when it comes down to it, it’s very clear who his favorite is… he seems happiest to just be near me, whether we’re cuddling, playing, or just hanging out. It’s the interesting difference between our two dogs: Domino is a typical love-the-one-you’re-with Boxer, and Indiana has the usual fiercely-devoted-to-one-person Shar Pei trait.

He had some behavioral issues, namely being VERY wary of being touched (he’s never aggressive, but he would flinch and cower when you tried to pet him), but as he’s gotten used to living with us, he’s come to realize that we’re never going to hurt him. I do wonder what exactly happened early in his life to make him so timid, but I’m happy just knowing that he’s getting more comfortable and feeling safer to the point that he no longer shies away and will even wrestle with us! He may have been an accidental find, but every day I’m so happy that I found him, he really has found his forever home with us.