I adopted a dog today from the city animal shelter. They were "on sale" because the shelter is so overcrowded and they try to not destroy good animals if they can avoid it. I looked at the web site and read the characteristics, looked at the size and ages, and found the two when I got there, along with another very friendly and persuasive white pit mix. I apologized profusely to the two I didn't take, and brought home a blue heeler mix who is a 4-year-old spayed female. She has had puppies in the past, and her coat shows signs of having been left outside and having to sleep on concrete, but she seems to be house trained and she has a small skill set that includes "sit" and possibly "shake." She mimics the other dogs when treats are offered, and didn't lunge at her food when dinner happened. She is still telling the chocolate lab to back off (everyone is still trying to hump everyone else to determine who is in charge, while I tell them I'm in charge). She got a bath as soon as I brought her home and she tolerated it well. And follows me around now. She is heartworm positive (all of the dogs down there seem to be) and will see my vet next week. I'm keeping her separate from the other dogs at night and will quickly train her to the Invisible Fence system in the yard to keep her from scaling the fences. Many of the dogs in the shelter had the notes "jumps fences" or "climbs fences." She showed an interest in digging under the fence after I introduced her to my nextdoor neighbors and he gave her a treat along with the other two (his daily ritual). She may have been an escape artist, but has already offered a few shy kisses to the other two dogs - something my pitbull always did. We'll get her trained to stay in the yard and these three will be fine - this is just what the other two needed.

I set up sprinklers this morning and figured out the layout I want, leading to a trip to Tractor Supply for a couple of more of the Rainbird sprinklers that go on top of fence posts. Next comes the timer, I'll set that up tomorrow. There were lots of people buying sprinklers and hoses today because we have a heat wave headed our way.

More filing ahead, and bill paying. The dog adoption fee was actually covered by someone who liked her and wanted to be sure she was adopted, but there is no such thing as a free dog. There will be bills to go with this enterprise, but still, my heart expanded today in a way that is always wonderful and surprising when it happens. It's worth it.