Behold, The Meat-Hound. All Hail, All Hail.

It was the way she sat, I think.

The other dogs at the shelter were leaping and barking all over the place. But she sat there calmly, ears up, taking it all in.  If it was possible for a dog to look placid and alert simultaneously, she nailed it.

Without belaboring the point too much, being both placid and alert is a vital pre-adaption to living in my house. Not so much because of me, but my children.

Squeaky (3, shown in pic to left) and Fang (6) are a handful. (We're training them too. Its an adjustment for us all)

Being placid would keep a dog from losing her sanity, and as to being alert --  the faster you see them coming with a Superman costume, a plastic pig nose, and a game of dress-up-the-dog on their minds, the faster you can hide in your crate.

Anyway, there she was, and something in my head said "that one." For a month, she lived in a shelter down in Dekalb County, Georgia that kills 85% of the dogs that go through it. I'm not sure how she made it to CT, but she did.

In the car home, we named her Max.

Debate rages on as to her heritage: Shepard, Akita (if you see her from the side, there's something about the ears) Sharpei. (I don't see it personally, but thats what makes this fun).

Anyone with good advice on how to make a 1-year old shelter dog adjust to a new home (with kids) quickly and happily, please post in the comments. Any and all advice accepted gratefully.