Cousin Snackle

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There aren't many words to describe Cousin Snackle. Unique would probably be the best way to start. He's a special sort of fellow who found his way into my family's heart by way of pity - having been rejected by three homes and set to be euthanized by the time Scottie Mom's sister convinced the family to take him in, Cousin Snackle is a whole 'nother breed...literally, as he is part Chow Chow, part German Shepherd and, believe it or not, part squirrel - according to legend. (Just look at his tail...there's all the proof you need!)

Cousin Snackle is not known to be the friendly type so you can imagine how extra careful Scottie Mom is with Mr. K's Scottie-tude hanging around Cousin Snackle's house. Over time, however, the two have learned to ignore each other and it is Heather who sounds off a nice little growl whenever Cousin Snackle gets too close for comfort. This last visit, however, we decided to try to get a canine "family" photo and see what we came up with. Much to my surprise, we were able to snap one - just ONE - photo that might be considered frame-worthy. I think poor Cousin Snackle was just too excited to cooperate and try to achieve more than one shot for the day.

Mr. K and Heather's Cousin Snackle is probably one of the reasons Scottie Mom never really cared for dogs at first. He is extremely high maintenance as he is afraid of storms (which happen rather frequently in the humid Southern summers!), absolutely despises UPS trucks, and don't you dare even get him started on male visitors. Not a former Scottie Mom ex-boyfriend went by that didn't disagree with Cousin Snackle at some point - then again, Cousin Snackle could have been onto something and was just trying to warn Scottie Mom, right?

All that put aside, however, there is something within the spirit of a rescue pup pup that I think all the fellow rescue Scottie Moms and Dads can agree on: there is this unending love and eternal gratefulness that a rescue dog shows his or her owner, almost from the moment they come home. Cousin Snackle, despite his grumpiness towards others, is never shy in expressing his affection towards his primary caregiver, Scottie Grandmadre. What's more, he still jumps for joy when Scottie Mom's sister comes back to the house for some occasional belly rubs and play time in the yard. (After all, she is essentially his life saver!) And even though Cousin Snackle and I didn't get off on the right paw those many years ago, I certainly enjoy taking Heather and Mr. K up to visit him from time to time now that my appreciation for rescue animals has grown deeper.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post when Heather and Mr. K visit an adoption event to help some new rescue friends find furever homes!