Ok, after scaring the bejeaus out of us last Sunday, George is doing fine.
And today, October 16th is his birthday. He’s 11!
Couple of things about our courageous goof and how he came into our lives.
He was bought for a client’s ad campaign by 2 of my biz partners from what I can only assume was a puppy mill in VW. It was just before Christmas and neither one of my partners could take him and my other biz partner wasn’t interested. Beth and I were dating at the time and although we had bought Grace together only 6 months earlier, I wasn’t sure we were ready to commit to another dog. But we needed him for a photo shoot the first week of January and I acquiesced to take him to my house for the week or so. (Grace didn’t live with me then.)
This little smelly goof came with kennel cough and we really didn’t want him near Grace… But Beth had different ideas. Once she met George, the two of them bonded immediately. And it’s been that way ever since.
We did the photoshoots, he’s been in ads, web banners, key fobs etc, and luckily we we able to keep him close by for the year incase there was a follow up. And then for ever. (He was to move to Chicago to live with a client’s son.)
Beth, George and Grace and myself attended training classes for 6 years. We were already in classes with Grace when George arrived. We did 2 hours a week, 7 week sessions. We didn’t get into competitions until the 4th year. George was 2nd, 3rd or 4th in every match we entered. We did 5 competitions and Grace finally got her AKC CD. We dropped out because she got lyme disease that year and she couldn’t jump. I’m convinced George would have been a shoe-in for utility level competions.
In the meantime, Beth was working as an activity assistant at a small private nursing home. George soon started to go with her each day to visit with the little ladies. Something about a low dog that fit under wheel chairs with no tail to get stuck made him seem perfect. Beth worked there for several years and then moved to the nursing home she presently works at. George just followed along. On occasions that Beth is out, they’ve occasionally asked if we could just send George.
There’s a few little ladies at his present nursing home that insist that George is their dog… To them, I say… I have some vet bills for you.