Lucca - The New Family Member

Lucca - The New Family Member, originally uploaded by Drewje.

Kate and I adopted a new member of the family on Sunday afternoon. Lucca (formerly "Kingsley" - try saying that as a dog name - it's harder than you think) is a very sweet and well mannered dog. We're very happy to have him.

We adopted him from the North Shore Animal League out on Long Island. They are the country's largest no-kill animal shelter, and we really wanted to adopt from them, so they could replace Lucca with another rescued animal.

Lucca had been suffering from heartworm and had a couple lesions on his leg, which were surgically removed (hence his funny hairdo) and found to be benign. He's so low key and easy to be with. I'm very glad that we decided to adopt an adult dog instead of a puppy. Trust me, it's worth it.

When Kate and I walk from room to room in the house, Lucca dutifully follows. We thought he might have some separation anxiety at first, but as he's become more accustomed to his surroundings, he's becoming brave enough to venture out on his own. Of course, he's mostly off searching for Samantha the cat, which he has an understandable fascination with, but she is having none of it for now. Samantha has adjusted very well to the new family member, and even hangs out with all of us in the living room while watching TV.

Lucca has a few more weeks of leash-only walking, due to the heartworm recovery, but we go on long walks in the park, which is only a few blocks away. He's super friendly with other dogs and I can't wait to take him down to the dog park as soon as he can take the vigorous playing.