Name/Age: Auggie - 7 yrs old +\-
Family Member: Debbie
How long has Auggie been in the family? 1 year
Profession: PR/Advertising/Marketing/Sales
Location: Decatur, GA.
Nicknames: Handsome, Sweet Pea
5 words/phrases that best describe Auggie?
Enthusiastic
Handsome (People always stop and tell me that)
Lover Boy
Snuggle Bug
Opportunistic Eater
What makes Auggie unique? He sticks his head in the shower to lap up water dribbling down my hand. So we have to play the watering game where I keep water running down my arm for him and he keeps lapping it up. He must be one of the happiest dogs on earth. He only barks if he wants to be let out in the yard, or when someone rings the doorbell. (Or hears one on tv.)
Rest and Relaxation time!
Rescue Story: He lived at a car repair shop and was apparently left there by a former employee. He learned my voice from my frequent visits (with two older cars) and would come out to see me. Owner saw how much we enjoyed each other and one day he shouted out, “You want him?” and I said “Yeah!” There are no puppy pictures of him. I’d love to see what my handsome boy looked like when he was a puppy. The first night together, he kept getting up and licking my face. Was the best sleepless night ever!
Auggie at the shop before his life changed forever!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We take car rides to Ace Intown Hardware. Everyone there knows him; he barks when we go in to let everyone know he’s here! I’ll hear “Hey, Auggie!” from the back of the store. Many employees and customers pet him, and employees give him treats. Then we go outside and sit in the chairs and watch the world go by for a while on nice days. It’s good socialization for him.
I’m always buying new squeaky balls. He goes nuts over the sound, and he usually kills it in five minutes. I have to keep the spares in the trunk of my car so he can’t get to them. We play with three balls at a time so I can keep him chasing one instead of him playing keep away.
What is life like since you rescued Auggie? Best decision I ever made! The house was cold and empty; now it’s full of sunshine with him here and we’re both smiling a lot. He truly is the light of my life! Auggie got attention at the shop, but not much affection. He’s always by my side, and I sing him to sleep every night. He loves to rearrange the pillows and steal my space in bed. I have to help him into bed since he tore both his CCLs chasing squirrels for the first time just after I got him. We slept on a mattress on the floor in the den from September through April between his two surgeries. He has a large fenced-in yard, and a shady neighborhood to walk in with lots of four-legged and human friends to greet. We’ve made friends with so many neighbors and everyone knows him! Before he only had short leash walks on a concrete sidewalk, he didn’t have any doggy friends, and he didn’t know what to do with a yard. Now he has a best friend, Jack, the standard poodle, and we have play dates in our yard since it’s fenced in.
Photographers Note: Had some firsts with Auggie’s photo shoot. When I arrived he was pretty shy at first but warmed up quickly. For those who have volunteered with SALA before you know I use a squeaky duck to get the attention of my furry subjects. I also don’t allow the dogs to get to the duck because it was the only one I found that I can easily squeeze with my knees or arm pit, and can’t risk it getting destroyed. Well…I did not take into account Auggie’s love of all things that squeak. When he saw the duck it was game over. I quickly tried to hide it in my bag, which was on top of a little table. NOPE…he jumped on the table and wouldn’t give up; not even a treat would change his focus. So I let him have it briefly ( the first dog to win possession of the duck) while Debbie went inside to get his ball. Then he was all about the ball and could careless about the duck. This also led to I believe our first bow tie shot with a ball in mouth (looked back and couldn’t find a past volunteer but of course there have been a lot) and it’s pretty adorable; maybe need to start a new trend!