Oscar the Wylde man

Just a little guy

We got a puppy!!!!!!!!  This was completely unplanned and honestly it wasn't even my fault.  Some friends had a Halloween bonfire on the 27th and when we got there we walked into a crowd of canines because almost everyone had brought their dog/s.  But the very first thing I saw was the cutest little puppy ever.  I was sort of confused because I didn't recognize him as any of our friends' dog but I quickly learned that the friends who were hosting the party were fostering him for the Roanoke Valley SPCA and he was available for adoption after the foster term was over.  RVSPCA won't adopt them out until they're 10 weeks and he was only 9.  As much as we all know I love puppies I really wasn't even thinking about getting him.  I was DD for the night though and by the time 12:45 rolled around and Ben was still having a good time I knew I needed a nap or I was never going to make the 45 min drive home.  So the puppy and I took the warmest, cuddliest nap together for an hour or 2 until everything was winding down.



Puppy ball



Let me be clear about it now.  The boyfriend had already started warming up to the puppy himself and he's not much of a dog guy, infact he's pretty predominantly a cat guy.  By the time we were ready to go home he'd decided "It can't hurt anything to take him for a week and see if he and Maddie [my dog] get along and he's not scared of the horses and stuff".  We were having a bonfire at our house the following weekend and our friends would be coming down for that anyways.  So we drove home with an exhausted and confused little pup, a drunk and happy boy, and a weary but happy me.  I knew if we got another animal I would be blamed for the acquisition.  That's why I want it to be known I made the boyfriend make the final decision and he's the one you want to point the finger at.

But I can't complain, we already love him.  He had to go back with our friends to the SPCA to get his booster shots and get neutered then we got to pick him up today :)  We named him Oscar, we're guessing he's a pit bull/rhodesian ridgeback mix, but there's really no telling.  All I know is he's the cutest, he's going to be a big boy (yay!) and he LOVES to cuddle!

It all started with Facebook...

Actually it was this exact picture that I saw.

No seriously, it really did start with Facebook.  I happened to be on my account, checking my notifications when I noticed a picture of a really good looking chestnut on the stalker feed newsfeed.  It just happended to catch my eye because I really liked his confirmation and his big blaze.  Hell, I even liked his "crazy eye" as I affectionately refer to his wall eye (a common occurence in horses where more white shows around the outer rim of the eye ball then in other eyes) he has on his left, but not his right.  The picture was posted by an eventing barn called Mayadinya Farm that I'm a "fan" of, along with this caption:

"This nice, three-year-old thoroughbred gelding is unhappy at the racetrack and is available to an approved home only for a $500 donation to a TB rescue organization. He is 16.2 hands, has raced eight times and demonstrated that he doesn't want to win and probably never will, and is getting grumpy in his job. He has no vices and no behavioral issues, he is sound, and he has been well taken care of at a good stable, but he just doesn't want to be a racehorse. Please e-mail mayadinya@gmail.com if you are interested in him."

Well I surely wasn't in the market to get another horse.  I already had 3 others, my retired Quarter Horse jumper, my other Thoroughbred who I event, and my priceless Shetland pony who I've had since I was four.  I was living in town with my boyfriend and already paying to board them at a man's property a few miles down the road, lord knows I didn't need to add another boarding fee to my expenses, not to mention farrier costs, extra feed, and winter hay supplies.  So what did I do... I emailed them of course!

In all fairness I was only mildly interested in finding out what he had done and what they thought he was capable of.  However, they were really just posting for a friend and kindly referred me to her.  One thing led to another and before I knew it I was in way over my head, taking a vacation day and making the 5 hour trek up to Laurel, Maryland with my trainer to see him at the track where he was still being kept.  Before the day was out I'd written a check and as my trainer and I were driving home I sat there wondering to myself "Oh sh**, what did I just get myself into!"

We go to pick him up next weekend. I can't wait! Let the shenanigans begin!

This blog is dedicated to chonicling my journey with Reily, my new ex-racehorse (commonly referred to as an OTTB [off track Thoroughbred]).