All About Dusty

About a year ago Chief and I considered adding to our family. We thought JJ could use a brother and we had the itch to have a little excitement in our house. So after much discussion and research we decided to adopt a little mini Aussie named Dusty.

Dusty's story is that he was given up because his previous owners moved to an apartment that had a 20 pound weight limit on pets. He came from Minnesota and was brought to Wisconsin to be fostered by his temporary mom Sandy. Sandy and her family brought Dusty in and took great care of the little guy. He had a cyst on his head which had been infected, he was underweight, and he had worms. He had a very shy personality but was the sweetest dog.

We corresponded with Sandy for many days trying to figure out if he was a good fit for our family. Dusty needed confidence. He didn't know about toys or how to play with other dogs. He was non-confrontational and afraid of some dogs. Would we be a good fit for him? Would JJ be a good big brother and teach him about play and toys? Would JJ resent us for bringing home a new dog?

We decided to drive up towards Milwaukee and meet Dusty. We took JJ with us too that way we could see how they would interact. It was a rainy and cool August Saturday. We got to Sandy's house and minutes later we met Dusty. She opened her garage door and there he was. The cutest little dog ever. He was so very shy and he was skinny. He had this cute little face and he knew how to look so sad. I bent down as did Chief as we petted him and tried to get him to trust us.

Since JJ was still in the car waiting to meet this new guy, Sandy thought it would be a good idea to let the boys play in her fenced back yard. Just like Sandy said Dusty had no idea how to play. JJ tried so hard. He tried to play chase but Dusty wouldn't run. He would lay down at Dusty's level but Dusty had no interest. We could see that there would not be any problems with fighting between the two of them. JJ got bored after a while and decided to sit on Sandy's deck and watch the Aussies inside of her house from her patio doors. Chief, I, and Dusty tried to figure out if he should come home with us. We spent a few hours there and decided that we could give this a try. We adopted this little guy and away we went back to our house.

He has been with us for a year now. The first months were not easy. Dusty has separation anxiety and after many nights of not sleeping he made it into our bed. At first JJ would not have anything to do with Dusty, even going upstairs, but I think he too was tired of the crying by his brother at night. Dusty didn't do well in his kennel when we went to work. We figured he cried all day and by the wetness outside of his kennel door he was probably barking too. He also had accidents in his kennel and just when we were about to give up on him we decided to leave he and JJ in the kitchen while we went to work. Perfect solution. He never had a problem after we got rid of his kennel. JJ was a trooper for staying in the kitchen. Before Dusty was here, JJ had the whole house to himself. He didn't seem to mind regressing back to one room all day so he could hang out with his new brother. Eventually, Dusty graduated and now when we leave they get to have the entire house.

His favorite things to do are: sleep on the couch, watch squirrels, bite JJ's ankles, run with dad three times a week, steal toys, play fetch, go to school at Doggie Depot, car rides, walks, and anything to do with going outside.

Dusty has come a long way. With Sandy's encouragement when things were tough, Dusty found a forever family. With the help of Brian and Colleen at Doggie Depot, he has more confidence with other dogs and his play skills are exceptional. Because of JJ, he knows all about toys, how to pee in the yard, and has new friends (canine and human) in the neighborhood. He is a good little brother and a good little dog. He is Chief's little buddy and my little guy. We love Dusty and he is a perfect fit for our family.