NAME: Tucker.
OWNER: Scott and Aldea.
HOW THEY MET: My brother in law, who does maintenance on rental properties, called my husband when he saw Tucker at a house he was working at.
Scott and I had been wanting to adopt another dog, but luckily hadn't when we got the call. We arranged to pick Tucker up with the woman that had him and drove down to her house immediately. When we got there we were appalled -- the conditions were horrible. How a person could live in such squalor, let alone with a dog and 20 cats. This place had been Tucker's 4th home in as many months.
As I knelt down to get acquainted with him, she said, "I'm glad you're here. I was just going to drive him into a field somewhere and leave him." I scooped him into my arms and we drove away. Tucker was terrified and traumatized, but with love and patience, he turned into the sweet, gentle, awesome little guy he is.
AGE: 4
HOME: Simsbury, Connecticut.
BREED: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (Toller)
BEST TRICK: When the water bowl is empty he picks it up and brings it to you to be filled. He rings a bell to be let outside. He talks to you, not by barking or making noise, but by getting your attention and actually opening and closing his mouth, lips, etc. We're convinced if his vocal chords were like ours he'd speak.
FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Licking his brother's ears, watching people walk by from his post in the driveway, chasing squirrels, going to work with Scott, riding in the car (he sits on the middle console so he can see - no windows for this guy), and herding his brother.
FAVORITE FOOD: Cucumbers and cheddar cheese.
FUNNIEST MOMENT: Falling off the couch while asleep, and staying asleep.
SUFFERS FROM STEP-O-PHOBIA: Tucker has issues with stairs. He won't come upstairs without intense coaxing and reassurance at the top. He will stay at the bottom and whine until one of us calls him up or stays at the top to cajole him. When he's coming up he hugs the wall, as if it's a guide or a reassurance. At Grandma's house he will not come up the stairs at all. Of course, when he follows his brother up there is no problem at all.
Also, he does not like the vacuum. At all. He doesn't cower from it, run away or bark, rather when I vacuum near him he looks at it, and then me, as if to say, "get that thing near me and I'm going to kill it."
IF TUCKER HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Live and love fiercely.
CREDIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHS: Aldea Plum.
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