Wilson's meet-and-greet...

Wilson (bottom) meeting Flash (top left) and Loretta (top right).

This past weekend, while I was covering Nashville Predators training camp at Centennial SportsPlex, Lynn brought Wilson out there to meet me. We were very excited and wanted to experience the event together.

Wilson was going to meet his (hopefully) forever family.

Across from the SportsPlex is Centennial Park, a perfect open area for a meet-and-greet. Unfortunately, the annual Mutt Strut event was going on and there were dogs everywhere. Luckily we were able to find a nice shady area that we could wait for Wilson's new family to meet us at.

Wilson enjoyed looking at all the other dogs pass by and watching all the people come by him and give him love. He met a nice lady who had just finished a GiGi Cupcake, a pit bull puppy who was being socialized and, best of all, two older bassets named Flash and Loretta.

Flash and Loretta were the two dogs of Wilson's (hopefully) new forever family. They were basset people, which we were ecstatic about. Not only did it mean our family shared a passion with theirs, but it meant they knew the breed. They knew that bassets drool. They knew that bassets are stubborn. They knew that bassets can be loud. So many of the reasons why bassets end up in shelters and rescue organizations weren't going to be an issue with this family. Why? Because they knew what they were getting into.

Even beyond that, they seemed to be great people. And they seemed to love their dogs even more. These were not young hounds. They were older dogs that were in their double-digit years. And they treated them like their kids. You could just feel the love coming from them and it was incredible to experience. In a way, it gave Lynn and I some hope for the future.

We never like talking about life after Jolene. Our souls ache when we think about Jolene growing old and eventually leaving us. So, to be able to feel that much love from a family toward their elderly hounds, words cannot describe how comforting it was.

Even if the arrangement to bring Wilson into their family doesn't work out, we'll always have that. And that's something we'll remember for a long long time.

Wilson waits for his (hopefully) forever family by taking in the Mutt Strut.

Showing his true character...

Wilson sleeping on his back. He does this a lot. It's quite funny.

Wilson has been doing great lately. He seems to have fully adjusted to his (temporary) life here. Only some minor tweaking here and there and he should be good to go.

For example, when we first brought him into our home, we had to literally push him into his crate. Heck, Lynn even crawled in the crate with him to show that it was safe. Now, however, you say "crate!" (and if you have a treat in your hand), he literally runs upstairs and gets in. Such a great change.

Also, as you can see from the photo above, he loves to sleep on his back. When he does this, he has this growl on his face. He's not angry or dreaming or anything. His top lip just falls open and he makes classic faces. The photo above was from the first time we saw him sleep like that. Since then, we've probably caught him making that face three or four times. So, apparently, it's an everyday thing for him.

He's also a lot more active than four-year old basset hounds are supposed to be. He can sleep through the day while we're at work, no problem. But when we're at home, it's go! go! go! go! all.... the.... time. We're not really used to that since Jolene has discovered the one thing that most adult basset hounds enjoy: sleep. Typically, she has about an hour of play time in the evening and then, after a nice long power nap, another half hour of chewing at night. That's about it. So this whole up-and-down-the-stairs stuff isn't what we were expecting. Makes us think he's younger than four. It doesn't make him any less of a great dog. It's just that we were expecting a basset hound. You know? Lazy.

All that being said, we do have some observations that we may or may not have mentioned before. He likes to be dominant. But not an aggressive "I will KILL you!" dominant. More of a "I want to go through the door first" dominant. And a "I will pee over where you just peed to proclaim this spot mine" dominant. Which, when you have a dog as submissive as Jolene, who cares?

The only time things get bad is when Jolene is chewing on a bone he wants. And, as it turns out, he wants any bone that she may have at any time. He's growled at her when she's gotten too close to him a couple times which we, of course, quickly corrected. He's even gone and taken a bone from her while he was chewing a completely different one. We obviously corrected that too. But that doesn't seem to change things. We've probably watched him do that three times a week for the last couple weeks and the only "progression" we've seen is, when we stand up, he gives us a look like "I'm sorry but I have to take this from her." He used to just go for it. Now he at least pauses first. So we're working with him on that. He needs to understand that, when he has a bone he is content with, and Jolene wants a different bone -- completely unrelated to the one he has -- that it's okay. This mentality may take a while to fix.

What's weird is, when they're outside they act like the best of friends. They're outside running around, chasing each other and wrestling right now as a matter of fact. But when they're in the house, Wilson is alpha and that's just how it goes. It's a strange relationship.

When Wilson (L) and Jolene combine forces to get food, a dream team is born.

Starting to bounce back...

Wilson, in his neuter napkin, resting in the window.

Wilson is now three days removed from surgery and he's starting to return to his normal self. He's not full speed yet, obviously, but he's starting to eat normally, he's starting to chew on his favorite bone occasionally and he's starting to, you know, not sleep all day.

He loves to rest in the window and think about the old days (of being in tact), but he's starting to understand that we're here to take care of him when he doesn't feel well. He's been through a lot recently and, at times, you can tell he's skeptical. So we feel it's very important for him to know that we are here for him.

Anyway, Wilson didn't do much of anything the first 48 hours after we brought him home. It's nice to see him getting back to his old self.

Wilson eating. Finally.

The day after...

Wilson enjoying outside air for the first time since being neutered.

I went to pick Wilson up from the vet today. His face told the whole story.

The people at South Franklin Veterinary Clinic were great with him and they told me all that we needed to know going forward. They informed me that his diet should go back to normal, that he shouldn't run or jump for at least three days and that his stitches should dissolve within six.

I don't think we have to worry about the running or jumping. He has been camped out on the couch since I brought him home. I've had to keep Jolene away from him because, for some reason, she doesn't know something's wrong. So, in one way, it's a good thing she's happy to see him (we were worried she was happier without him) but, on the other hand, it's hard to believe she can't notice that he just wants to rest.

So, while rocking his "neuter napkin" (that's what I'm calling it. I really have no idea why they give them bandanna's), Wilson is just going to spend most of the day resting.

Tomorrow will be interesting though.

Wilson asleep on the couch.

Getting fixed...

Wilson is a little too happy riding to the vet.

Someone was a little too cheerful this morning. Of course, he wouldn't have been if he knew where we were going.

Wilson had his neuter appointment this morning. Around 7:15am I got up, let him go outside with Jolene, and then put her up before loading him into the car.

We were told he rides in cars well but that was not the case this morning. Well, okay, compared to Jolene, he's a dream in the car. But he wasn't the "let's go for a ride!!" type I was expecting.

He didn't like being in the backseat so, when I got out to get gas, he came up into the passenger seat and was waiting for me to get back. Then, when I opened the door to get in, he tried to bolt out the driver's side door. That's something Jolene has never tried to do so that caught me completely off guard. He did mellow out on the long drive to the vet, however. He eventually sat down in the passenger seat and just enjoyed the ride.

But now he's at the vet getting fixed. I feel bad for him. Four years old and still in tact and now they gotta come off. That's gotta suck. Please do the world a favor and get your dogs fixed at an early age. Please?!

We get him back early tomorrow afternoon. In the mean time, Jolene is taking this window of opportunity to actually, you know, sleep.

Jolene finally getting some shut-eye with Wilson out of the house.

Looking back at the first week...

Wilson looking his best while soaking up some sun.

So here we are. Tomorrow will be Wilson's seventh day from when he arrived. He's adjusted remarkably well to his foster home. He's learned how to interact with his foster sister Jolene, he's learned that sleeping in a crate is not a bad thing, and he's learned that he can't pee on someone's shoes to claim said person as his property.

But we've learned some things too.

We've learned that he's alpha. We've learned that he takes discipline well. We've learned that he's got more energy than your everyday basset hound.

Wilson is not "alpha" in the sense of being aggressive. He's alpha in the sense that, when we call them in from outside, Wilson has to be the first one through the door. He also has to be the first one to eat. So we're working with him on that and, of course, finding alternative ways to feed Jolene.

He's really taken to discipline well. A few nights ago, Jolene was chewing on a bone that he apparently wanted. He came over to steal it from her and my wife and I lept off the couch. I got to him first, held the scruff of his neck while turning him over on his side (Thanks Ceasar Milan!). I told him "no!" and he seemed to get the message. Especially after trying the same thing one more time just a few minutes later. From that point on, we haven't had any problems with him wanting something Jolene has.

Lastly, he's not a sleeper. Jolene is. So it's interesting to watch these two play all night long. Jolene wants to find a place and go to sleep but absolutely must know what Wilson is doing at all times. And since Wilson doesn't want to sleep, he plays fetch or chews a bone or whatever. Jolene has to keep a close eye because she might miss something so she doesn't get the sleep she used to. Now, that being said, we've seen this kind of behavior before in Jolene. When we take her up to Lynn's parents house in Ohio, she used to be exhausted all the time as she always had to inspect every little noise that happened in the house. After three years of doing that, now she just picks her head up from the couch, decides it's not worth the effort, and lays back down. We're hoping that's the path she'll take with Wilson eventually.

He really is a sweet boy. He loves to play, chew on bones and run around with Jolene in the backyard. Plus he's handsome. He really should get adopted soon. He still needs to work on a few things though. He can be a bit of a bully when he wants something Jolene has, he pulls out all the stops if you have some food he'd really like and he hasn't learned our method of telling us when he needs to go outside.

He's only had one accident in the house (the aforementioned shoe incident) but he hasn't embraced the "clicking" that we've taught Jolene and any other dogs that we pet sit or foster. But it's only been a week so maybe that'll come around.

Either way, he's a delight to have in the house now that he's starting to adjust to our lifestyle.

Wilson lays at the front door watching the world go by.

Leaving Wilson home for the first time...

Wilson dozes off in the sun.

DAY 3
Yesterday, we went to Target for an hour. This meant leaving Wilson in his crate, with only Jolene to keep him company, for the first time.

When we drove away, we could hear him barking through the upstairs window. Our big test was, when we come back, if he's silent, then he gave up and will adjust to being left home alone eventually. If he was still barking, we had trouble on our hands.

We had trouble.

When he got back, we pulled up to the house nice and slow. We had our windows down so we could hear if he was still making noise. Sure enough, you could still hear him whining loudly through the upstairs window. Which means two things. One, he may have separation anxiety. Two, Jolene didn't get an ounce of rest while we were gone.

The separation anxiety is scary for me personally because, back in 2002, I fostered a basset hound named Casey. She couldn't be left at home alone without being destructive. Even in a crate. The first time I left her home alone in her crate, she ended up trying to get out of the crate so hard that she bloodied herself. She never bloodied herself again but it never get much better. So, having that experience stained on my brain for a decade now, the idea of another basset hound with separation anxiety scares me to death.

So while we feel very blessed that Wilson isn't anxious to that extent, it worries us about our own dog. Jolene spends over half the day asleep. That's what she likes to do. Whether it be in her crate or on the couch, she loves sleeping. So, to have a dog in the house who keeps her awake during all daylight hours, it's very troubling.

Don't get us wrong, we're working with Wilson on this. We think we can help him. We honestly believe he'll adjust. After all, it took Jolene about two weeks to accept the crate and get a routine when she first got home. But she was a puppy. Wilson is a four year old boy. He's gotten used to a certain way of life and one of those may have been always having a human around. According to his previous family, he apparently had a golden lab that was always with him so we're hoping Jolene can fill that void until we find him a home.

A home with another dog, of course.

Wilson (left) and Jolene waiting for their dad to come home.

Happiness is a braided bone...

Wilson and his beloved braided bone.

DAY 2 (cont'd)
Even more than his fellow basset hound. Even more than the food in his bowl. Even more than treats. Wilson loves his braided bone.

Since finding it buried in Jolene's toy box, he goes everywhere with it. It's the only thing he's really possessive of. Not to an aggression standpoint but if Jolene gets close to him while he's chewing it, he'll pick it up and walk to the other side of the room. It's his most favorite thing at our house.

The only time we won't let him have it is when he goes outside. Don't get me wrong, he wants to bring it out there. We just won't let him because it's not a supervised location. If Jolene were to want that bone a little too much, Wilson might get that lip curl going again. And, since we won't be out there to monitor it, we don't want to risk a fight.

In the house, however, it's never far away from him. We have to correct him though because he thinks he can chew on it wherever. He tried getting on the couch to chew it and we had to take it from him, put it on the floor and point to it. Then, a little later on, he tried to bring it onto our love seat. Again, we took it away, put it on the floor, and pointed. Both times he seemed to understand what we were trying to do.

It's an adjustment period for everyone involved. :)

Wilson chews on his bone while Jolene looks on.

Exhaustion finally kicks in...

Jolene (left) and Wilson lay end-to-end on the couch.

DAY 2 (cont'd)
After a very stressful night for Wilson ("Excuse me. I'm not supposed to be in a crate.") and an equally exhausting night for Jolene ("What's this dog's problem? Shut up!"), the two started the day bushy as can be. They woke us up at 7:00am and played outside for a good 30 minutes straight. Once inside, they grabbed some water (and a snack) and headed upstairs to play.

Jolene found a rope that she liked and Wilson found a braided bone. After a couple hours, however, exhaustion finally set in. They each took a seat on the couch and ended up laying end-to-end asleep.

Wilson, still unsure about what's going on in his life, was restless last night and he was restless on the couch. You can really tell Jolene's patience is being tested because, when Wilson adjusted, Jolene abruptly shot me a look as if to say "Are you kidding me? How long do I have to deal with this crap?" It was absolutely hilarious. Naturally, being a lazy basset hound, she eventually put her head back down and went to sleep.

Jolene (left) and Wilson, shortly after waking up from their morning nap.

The first night...

Lynn trying to show Wilson that crates are okay.

DAY 2
Last night was a challenge, which we knew it would be. When asked what day we'd like to bring our foster dog into our home, we specifically chose Friday because it's not a work night. If things go wrong on that first night and we have to work the next morning, it will not be fun.

Wilson had never been in a crate before. Apparently he had always slept on his previous owner's bed. That's fine and all but it proves to be a problem when the foster family wants all the dogs in their house to sleep in a crate at night.

Jolene loves her crate. She'll even go in her crate during the day just to sleep. (Which we never understood because why would you sleep in a crate when you can sleep on the ottoman or the couch or the big comfy chair downstairs? But I digress...) Going forward, we're hoping that Jolene can be an example to Wilson. Their crates are right across from each other so we're hoping that Wilson will see how content Jolene is in her's and he'll eventually be like "Oh. I guess this is what we do here."

Back to last night though.... Wilson didn't want to go in his crate. He put all of his body weight on his haunches in absolute resistance when we tried to push him in. The treats we threw in there didn't seem to help either as he gave us a look like "I ain't going in there to get those." So, my wife being the brilliant one in the relationship (and a first grade teacher where she has to get creative all the time) decided to show him that crates weren't scary. She climbed into his crate and sat down with a couple treats. He walked in -- reluctantly -- and sat down to eat them. All while Lynn was in the back of the crate with him. I closed the door on him and he didn't even notice.

Fast forward about 10 minutes and we let him out so we could all go back into the bonus room to watch TV (us) and chew on bones (them). After a while we went back into the bedroom so we could all retire for the night. Wilson still didn't want to go in his crate but did after seeing Jolene walk right into hers.

Here's where it gets rough.

We turn all the lights off and Wilson starts whining. Incessantly. We tell him to "hush" and "quiet" and "go ni-nights!" several times (not knowing the command his previous family gave him, if any). He wasn't having it. Eventually, after about 30 minutes, he gave up, stopped fighting, and went to the very back of his crate, curled up and went to sleep.

He woke up at 3:00am to go outside, and then again at 5:00am and then again at 7:00am. We knew it would be a rough night for him. We just hope he can adjust quickly to how we do things at our house because, let's face it, work starts again on Monday.

Wilson (left) and Jolene would like their morning treat please.

The first day...

Jolene (top) and Wilson enjoy some treats together for the first time.

DAY 1 (cont'd)
Wilson and Jolene haven't stopped going since they met. While it took a little while for their relationship to get off the ground, Jolene finally won Wilson over and Wilson finally accepted Jolene.

There doesn't seem to be any aggression in Wilson. They ate food right next to each other with no issues and even shared a water bowl (at the same time!) with no issues. Food aggression is always a big question mark when you put two dogs in the same house. They could the best of friends 95% of the time but, when one of them is eating, it could  get ugly.

Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Finally, just before Lynn got home at 4:30pm, the two hounds finally crashed. Well, okay... actually, Wilson discovered the ottoman. The ottoman is Jolene's favorite spot because she can lay on nice big cushy furniture while soaking up some sun and looking out the window at all the interesting things that go by. Like cars. And people. And other dogs. When Wilson discovered the ottoman, he was done. Understandably so as it's been a long week for him. First, he was taken from the only home he's known for four years, he was taken to an Agape board members house for the night and then brought to our home the next morning, only to find some crazy dog named Jolene waiting for him.

Wilson was able to curl up on the ottoman and take a power nap and it was just what he needed.

Wilson discovers the best place in the house for a dog. The ottoman.

Getting to know you...

Wilson (top) and Jolene meet each other for the first time. On a walk.

DAY 1
Because they had never met before, Jolene and Wilson went on a walk together in an effort to get to know one another. Wilson wasn't real sure of Jolene as she kept getting in his face and trying to play while on the walk. Wilson took this is a slight threat and curled his lip a couple times at her as if to say, "Hey. Back off."

Jolene plays with a dog named Roxy occasionally and that's how they play, with their mouths wide open. Teeth can be heard clinking against each other and everything. Well that form of playing must be Jolene's favorite because that's the first thing she tried.

Wilson wasn't having it though.

Eventually the two dogs found their way into the backyard where they could frolic and play and explore off-leash. Jolene, once again, tried to go for Wilson's face but he curled his lip. After some promising body language that he was willing to be friends, Jolene tried another familiar move. The hip check.

When we go up to Ohio to visit my wife's parents, there's a small dog named Boo Boo that Jolene plays with daily. Jolene and Boo Boo wrestle quite a bit and Jolene's signature move (in order to throw her weight around) is run at Boo Boo and then, just as she's about to pass him, throw one of her hips out and knock him over. They'll do this for minutes on end and, apparently, it's the most fun you can have.

Wilson wasn't having that either.

Finally, while Wilson was sitting on the lawn smelling all the new smells, Jolene had tried everything she knew to try to get this dog to play. She had exhausted her bag of tricks so went back to doggy 101 and just sat in front of him so he could sniff her. And wouldn't you know it, it worked. The two ended up chasing each other around the yard for several minutes and had a great time.

Jolene (left) trying to figure out how to play with Wilson.