Duke and beach camping

Someone needs to remind me to never look at those rescue organizations when they have their dogs out for people to check out! 8 year-old Duke was in Ventura with the German Shorthair Rescue Association, and we met him 3 weeks ago. When we got home, I asked my husband- Do you think we should get him? 

If you knew my husband, you would know that is all I would need to say. After an extensive application, interview phone calls, and a 5 hour trip to the desert, where he was living in an outdoor kennel which was situated between the train and the freeway, we were able to bring him home.

We have had Duke for 9 days and so far:

He ran through a hog-wire fence.

Got scratched by the cat

Ran beneath a mother horse nursing her foal, got stepped on, and 6 stiches

Ran away from my son's home(while he was babysitting), and became famous in our town by his frequent sightings in the two hours he was gone.....but showed up trotting down the sidewalk to our house 

Ate an entire meatloaf, stayed up all night bloated and whining in pain until we got him into the vet to get de-gassed the next morning-

We took these pictures on our camping trip, and as you can see, he has become a member of our family, in spite of the above incidents!

I took my Lucy Calkins books on the camping trip, but they never left my canvas tote. Heck, there are still some weeks of reading time this summer! 

Laura