Sometimes getting a dog is planned out. Other times it is completely spontaneous. How Pancho came to join our family was spontaneous for sure. We had never thought about having more than one dog at a time. Then one day it all changed and we got our first pack dog.
Our dog Crystal had itchy skin. It was mild at first then it kept getting worse over the years. We changed her food and it helped some. Next was to try a dog shampoo for itching. So off to PetSmart I went searching for one. Next to the dog shampoo aisle was a little room with dogs in it. A local rescue group was there with dogs available for adoption. Of course, because I love dogs I had to look at them. That’s when I spotted Pancho.
He was so cute. His sweet eyes and those ears standing straight up! I petted him for an obnoxiously long time until I had to get home. I wanted to take him home with me yet I knew it would be best to discuss it with my husband. We talked and agreed to have the rescue group bring him to our house to see how he and Crystal would get along.
They got along okay and we adopted Pancho. The first week they pretty much kept apart from each other. I tried and tried to get them to be together. It was frustrating and nothing I did got them closer. Then one night I decided to ignore them and bake cookies. They started walking around the house. One would walk through the kitchen then a minute later the other one would do the same. By the time the cookies were done, the two were sitting next to each other. They just needed to be left alone to figure things out and form their pack. From that moment on, they were inseparable.
Pancho was skittish. We found out he spent the majority of his life before tied to a tree. He was nervous during thunderstorms and would run from a flash of light (like when we took pictures). His skittishness decreased through the years. It was probably between aging and being in a loving home.
He was a sweet, playful dog. He was the first dog I had ever seen to jump over a recliner. He’d get playing and running in the house, go around the den corner, and jump up and over the recliner. He’d also get going and run sideways against the back of the couch. It was a hoot to watch.
His playfulness continued as he aged. It was when he didn’t want to play that we knew his time was near. Finally, his liver gave out and it was time to say goodbye. Our first pack dog showed us how dogs can bond with each other and how valuable it is for their well-being. Ever since Pancho, we have always had more than one dog at a time.
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