Duffy Comes Home
Remember when Duncan said that Mom was still searching the pet pages on-line?  Well...  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Duffy and I'm from Grand Prairie, Texas.  I flew on a big plane from Dallas, TX all the way to Boston, MA on March 31st, 2001.
I am definitely loving my new forever home in New Hampshire.

My new mom found me through Petfinder.org, where I was listed as a schnauzer / terrier cross.  All she saw was that I looked so much like Duncan that we could be twins (I have a tail though).  She sent my listing to Dad at work and his initial reply was "Yup, it's a dog...".  That night he started thinking how nice it would be for Duncan to have a brother and for both humans to have a dog to hike with.  He asked mom to e-mail and find out if I was still available.  They were very excited to get the first e-mail that said I was.  They sent a link to their web-site for my foster-mom to see and she thought they just might be the right family for me.  My foster-mom, Cheryl was very thorough about checking this family out, calling their vet and the daycare where Duncan goes.  They even sent someone from a rescue in New Hampshire for a home check to see if they really were good to their other furry kids.  

When all was checked out, I was given the OK to go for a trip.  I know that Cheryl misses me, but she said that she thinks of me often and mom sends updates all the time.

This was my picture from Petfinder.  How could anyone NOT see how cute I am.  I was very sick when I was rescued and Cheryl put a lot of time and love into making sure that I became healthy.  Cheryl runs "Animal Haven Rescue" in Grand Prairie, Texas.  Though she didn't want to say goodbye, it enabled her to go out and rescue someone else who needed her as much as I did.  It's good people like Cheryl that make angels smile.

 

This was our first meeting at the Delta Cargo building at Logan Airport in Boston.  I arrived a bit leery, but soon warmed up to my new humans.  Mom's first reaction when I came out was that I didn't look much like Duncan at all, but was very hansom just the same.  I was no sooner out of my crate and meeting them when the cell phone rang and a worried foster mom (Cheryl) was asking if I arrived safely.  Dad held me all the way home and I felt warm and safe in a very new, cold place.

Duncan and I met for the first time in the back yard snow.

We played together and had a great time.

My new humans took me for hikes to the ocean.  It was the first time I had seen the beach.  It's amazingly wide open and Duncan and I ran for hours.  It was a very cold spring, so Mom put warm jackets on us.

Tick season was upon us before we knew it and my coat was trimmed short out of necessity.  I think I look quite dashing!  We hike almost every weekend and I love exploring the woods...

Duncan had been going to class for a year  and was in agility.  That is jumping over hurdles, running through tunnels and climbing up and over things.  I started with basic obedience, but my trainer, Kelly decided I was very smart and should jump right ahead into Duncan's class.  I finished basic, part of agility 1, agility 2 and intermediate agility.  I compete on weekends in agility meets around the New England area.  My Dad is my partner and we have loads of fun.  I have passed my Canine Good Citizen test too!  

I go to the Daycare with Duncan twice a week.  It's very fun to play, but I always love being picked up in the afternoons and going home for supper, a snuggle and a nap.

One of the very few regrets we have had about adopting an older dog is that you never get to see them as puppies.  Duffy came to us at approximately 10 months old and looked all grown up.  Today we received a wonderful surprise from his Fairy God Mother in Texas.  Baby pictures of Duffy from when he was first rescued.  We always knew he would be tooooo cute.

Sometime humans can be so weird!!!!  This is the night of my graduation from agility.

One of my favorite things about this home is the huge yard we have.  I love to just sit out on the side hill and watch the world go by, or chase those pesky little critters called chipmunks.  Dad says I'm one of the best chipmunk chasers in the world, but I still don't catch them.  I do warn them when someone comes near the house though and that's a very important job, or so my Mom tells me.

This summer my original Foster Mom (A.K.A. Fairy God Mother) came up to New Hampshire to visit.  She wanted to make sure I was doing OK and also to check on a wolf that she placed in a refuge up in the NH mountains.  Our Mom and Dad hosted Cheryl for a few nights and became good friends.  She was very happy with the way I had adjusted to this new place.  We hope she comes back soon to visit.

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