A very important introduction

Roger McKenna
Birthday 10.16.06
Adopted 4.16.08
60lbs of pure awesome

So long-time readers may notice my blog description has been revised from "Advertising - Environmentalism - Feminism - Friends" to now read "Advertising - Environmentalism - Feminism - Roger." Roger is my dog. He's my best friend, and he certainly gives me a lot of material to work with and adventures to blog about! When I mentioned to some coworkers that I had a blog, they insisted that Roger Stories needed to be on there. I've got some catching up to do!

Roger was adopted as a housewarming gift to myself in April '08 from HSCC, when he was 1.5 yrs old. I'd been volunteering at HSCC for over a year, waiting for the right dog to come through, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect! He's a Catahoula Leopard dog, which happens to be the state dog of Louisiana. Like most of the people who ask me about him, I had never heard of the breed. I did a little research before going to meet him. I don't know why they're not more popular up here - he's exactly what I was looking for!! - athletic but not hyper (able to chill at home all day, then go romping around in the evening and hiking on weekends); bonds really closely with his family; webbed feet for swimming; loves and needs human interaction. The very first time we met, I knew he was my dog. We had a paw-jama party later that week, and the very next day I spent my lunch break filling out the paperwork and we've never looked back.

From what I've pieced together from his medical records, he was in at least two different shelters in Florida, then transferred up to VT. Before he and I found each other, he had been adopted by another family here in VT, and lived with them for about 6 mo. He nipped at their young daughter a couple times when she cornered him for a hug, but their loss is my gain. It's only been about 10 weeks, but I can't imagine my life without him! He's always happy to see me, protective and very lovey and cuddly. Roger is mellow for such a young dog, and for the most part, well-behaved. I continue to be amazed at how clever he is.