For those who haven't heard, in late July 2006, we decided we wanted a canine companion to hang out with us at Bluejeans Place.  After hunting around a bit on the Internet we found this character's mug shots on PetFinders.com from Second Chances Dalmatian Rescue.

When we looked at these mug shots, two lines from the fathers of rock and roll, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, came to mind:

"Arrested on charges of unemployment"

     -- Chuck Berry, "Brown-eyed Handsome Man"

"I've had it hard"

     -- Bo Diddley, "I've Had It Hard"

I told Sylvia, "Look at this poor S*O*B!  We've just got to go to look at him!"

After a few e-mails with SCDR, we traveled about 100 miles up to Gehanna, Ohio in late July to "interview" with Mick...and it looks like we passed the interview!  During the "interview" we learned Mick was a stray found by the dog warden in Pike County, Ohio and turned over after a couple of days to SCDR.  He was a bit thin, hacking from a bad case of kennel cough and sounding like a 90-year smoker.  In any event, he seemed like a nice dog... 

How's that for offering a "first shake" to Sylvia?  Mick offered a left paw, then after Sylvia shook his paw, he took it back and offered his right paw with no prompting!

Right after that, Mick walked like a gentleman when Pat took him on a "first walk".

On August 13 2006, we paroled Mick out of his "cell" and re-homed to Bluejeans Place!

As you might imagine, Mick was in pretty bad shape when we took him home, and, weighing in at about 42 pounds, needed a few good meals under his collar.  He assumed his new role of "chowhound" when he ate three bowls of food, one after another!

(Please don't e-mail me and tell me this was wrong; Mick didn't get sick and fell asleep a little while later!)

Every time I look at this picture of Mick in such a malnourished condition, I think, "Jesus just whipped the moneychangers in the temple; wait until He catches up with the dog abusers!"

But while Mick went through some terrible days when he could have sang the worst bad luck blues,  click here to see how things got better really fast for him!