In My Own Voice #11: A Classic Case of Bait and Switch

I have learned that the female in my family was not completely honest when, some eight years ago, I was conducting interviews to choose my forever family. What can I say, I was young, naïve, and trusting.

After they picked me up at the hostel where I had been staying, I took them across the street to the community garden for a walk.

It was a balmy late August day, plants were growing in the garden plots and early on our walk I made an important find: a dead mouse.

So interesting!

I picked it up in my mouth and carried it with us as we explored.

Everyone seemed fine with my bringing the mouse on our walk. After all, there is so much that can be learned from the local flora and fauna. I find dead animals especially intriguing and like to do a close observation.

[For a different perspective on this momentous walk, see the final three paragraphs of A New Dog!]

In any case, I decided to go home with this family. They had passed all of my tests and I was ready to commit.

Since then, however, the female has shown a completely different side whenever we encounter dead animals.

Gone are the days when I can do a leisurely study—sniffing, prodding with my nose or paw.

Now, there’s a sharp tug on my leash and we are hurrying past. All efforts on my part to go back and explore are summarily overruled.

It’s a shame.

On net, I still believe I chose well when selecting this family; however, I do wish they had been more upfront about their reluctance; one might even say revulsion, in the face of dead animals.

Note: For the “female of the family’s” perspective, see ‘Tis the Season.