Care to Tango?

This is Tango:

It is rare to get a shot of Tango looking at the camera, especially one where he is smiling and so full of glee.

Working at the Humane Society, I always found it amazing how many dogs were camera shy.  Every dog that came into the center needed a photo.  The ones that had their photo taken regularly would stand or sit nicely for the camera.  Every time Tuck sees a camera, she instantly strikes a pose and “vogue” echos in my head – no joke. The dogs that had rarely had their photo taken would refuse to make eye contact with the camera; as if it was a dominant animal about to strike.  They were so afraid of the camera that it was nearly impossible to get a good shot.  Tango is clearly one of the dogs that has never had his photo taken.  Most of the shots of him look like this, or worse:

If you can even get a shot of his face, he always looks afraid.

Tango is not new to AARF, but he is new to our home.  Several months ago, Tango’s owner went into Hospice.  With no where for him to go, he was left alone for several weeks until the landlord, who had been feeding him occasionally, contacted a rescue for help.  Because all of our foster homes were full, Tango (then known as, Brownie), stayed at the AARF House.  While it was not an ideal solution, it was much better than the situation he came from.  He arrived matted, dirty, shy and fully intact.

After a good grooming, proper veterinary care and several weeks, Tango finally went into a temporary foster home with four other dogs.  There, he blossomed.  He played well with the other dogs and found his smile.  Being too far from town to take him to fairs, that foster home was temporary until another space opened up.  Well, with the puppies adopted… guess who found space???

Yep, Tango is now staying with us.  It has only been a few days, but we already LOVE him.  He fits right into our pack…. well, for the most part.  Fred, the grumpy old man of our pack, always has some issues with new adult fosters.  Despite the fact that Fred was neutered at a very young age, he still has a strong “marking” problem.  Tango was perfectly house-trained in his last foster home.  However, Fred has encouraged him to mark a little here.  Therefore, they are both stuck wearing diapers until they learn to control themselves!  (I am hoping it will only take a few days until they settle in together and they can stop wearing them.)

 

Tango is adorable, he works very hard to get Fred to play with him.  Unfortunately, Fred rolls his eyes at him, yawns and goes back to napping.  Tally has joined in and played with him some.  With time, I am certain the two of them are going to be great friends.

He is also very affectionate.  Tango loves to cuddle on the couch and he follows Scott and I so closely that he steps on our feet – literally.  He loves to run around the yard and plays like a little kid.  But, only if we are out there with him.

We have also discovered that the only thing he likes more than people, is cheese.  This boy LOVES cheese.  He will reluctantly take treats of other kinds, but he will do anything for a tiny piece of processed yellow stuff!

Last night, we walked Tango to the pub around the corner.  We sat on the patio and had a beer while Tango soaked up the affection.  He did extremely well with lots of new people.  This morning, however, he would not stop barking at the leash hanging on the wall.  Clearly, he enjoyed the experience.

On top of all of that… Tango has the best fur.  It flies around like little feathers and is all different colors.  It requires some maintenance, but how much fun is this?

Does anyone else think he looks like a Fraggle?  Image from here:  http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Gobo_Fraggle

Or maybe a character from Dr. Seuss?  Image from here:  http://angela2bunnie.blogspot.com/2012/03/happy-birthday-dr-suess.html

To say the least, Tango is a special little dog.  For awhile, I thought he was hard of hearing.  Turns out, it isn’t an impairment of any kind, he is just hard headed.  He likes to keep us guessing!

I am excited to watch Tango continue to blossom and develop as we search for his forever home!