Capitol Area Humane Society Dog Picked Me: My New Buddy, Zeke

Working as a radio host in Michigan I have seen literally hundreds of puppies, kittens, rabbits, snakes, and even spiders who've visited a studio from a local animal shelter looking for a forever home. Week after week, year after year, I've never been tempted to adopt any of them—until last Friday, when this little guy peeked out from his kennel while on a morning visit from the Capital Area Humane Society.

My wife loves dogs, and I'm scolded when I tell her about the pet of the week without getting a picture, so I got in the habit of texting her a picture (nearly) every Friday morning. She'd say, "Aw..." and I'd say, "No more dogs!" and we went on with our lives. This past Friday, I texted her the above photo, to which she replied, "I want him!"

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Usually, I would have replied with a, "We already have a dog" or "I'm not picking up more poop," but this pup was different. I was not so secretly hoping that we could be his forever home.

A phone call and a couple of hours later, I found myself at the Capital Area Humane Society shelter, in a little meeting room where Zeke and I could spend some one-on-one time. He approached, looked me in the eye, sneezed, and began nibbling on my jeans. I was hooked.

Roughly an hour after arriving and a $350 adoption fee later, we were on our way to introduce Zeek to his sister, a Jackson County Animal Shelter 'pup' we adopted in 2020, Dobby (yes, from Harry Potter, and yes, she loves socks). Though she's still not entirely sure what to think about Zeke, his interest in her toys, and his bursts of high energy, they've already formed a bond.

Has he had accidents in the house? You bet. Is he training us on how to take care of him? You bet. I have a constant 60-minute countdown on my smartwatch to remind me to take him out, and I rarely let him out of my sight, but after a couple of days, we're down to only one or two mishaps per day.

While I'd like to think we picked him, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Zeke picked us. Thanks for bringing him into our lives, Capital Area Humane Society. Maybe your next buddy is waiting there, too (click here to see CAHS's adoptable pets).