So, most of you have probably heard by now that we adopted a new dog, but I still haven't given him a proper introduction to the internets. So here it goes.

Kari and I weren't really looking to adopt a dog quite yet, but the situation sorta just fell into our (well, my) hands. See, Kari's mom is friends with a woman named Amy, who's a foster parent for a rescue league. So, one time while Kari was in Cedar Rapids, she and her mom decided to visit Amy for some "puppy therapy." ...sounds like a great idea, right?

Shortly after Kari's visit, I got a call saying that she met "the sweetest dog" who "just needs a home" and that she "put in an adoption request." Gah! Was she seriously trying to adopt a dog that I hadn't even met? Oh, but don't worry, I was reassured that "we probably won't get him because another family already put in for an adoption request for him."

Yeah... they changed their mind.

So a while later, we drove to Cedar Rapids so that I could meet the pup (whose name at the time was Joey). He seemed like a nice, well trained dog - really socially awkward, but definitely a good dog. So we decided to bring him home.

Most of you probably don't know this, but Kari has an ex-bf named Joey... and she couldn't possibly be telling our dog Joey how much she loved him. blah, blah, blah... girls. But on top of that, he also didn't really respond to the name Joey because, he'd already had a couple names in his life... so we decided to rename him. Apparently when adopting dogs with a rough past it can be a good thing to start with a fresh name to break any bad associations.

So, this dog didn't quite have the strength and stealthiness of an ultimate fighting Ninja. However, his story is definitely country - so we decided to name him Garth... Garth Brooks.

As for Garth's backstory - he was a stray dog roaming Keokuk, IA. He was obviously someone's pet at one point, because he'd already been neutered... but once he was found, no one claimed him, which meant that he was basically put on death row.

Shortly before he was to be euthanized, another rescue league in Cedar Rapids picked him up. Then from there, he went to Amy's foster home for a couple weeks and now here he is, living with us.

Garth is a great dog. He's really building his confidence and seems very happy and comfortable. He's loving his new daily walks and is beginning to really like the doggy door. The only thing he seems to dislike is the kennel... eh - in time.

So there's your introduction to Garth Brooks. Now all we gotta do is let the thunder roll, and the lightnin' strike... another love grows cold on a sleepless night.
as the storm blows on - out of control.
deep in her heart, the thunder rolls.