b'editor unleashedAnna Cooke, Editor in ChiefSitting perfectly poised on the floor, under Within a week, hed won over Dougie, thethe lights of the brightly lit showroom, the aforementioned Scottie, who may have beenlittle dog looked like he was auditioning for miffed at the new male in the household, butthe part of the debonair cat burglar in Alfred seemedindifferenttohispresence.ThereHitchcocks To Catch A Thief, played by Cary wasnocompetitiontobetheleaddogGrant. No matter where I went, there he was. betweenthetwomales.DougiespositionEachencounter,hecaughtmyeyes,sat hadalreadybeenwell-established.Angel,down,thensmiled.Itwasntabigtoothy theSchnauzermix,wasintrigued,almostgrin, but a slightly turned up corner of his smitten with this new fellow in her life. Wasmouth on one side of his face. There was a this a toy or a playmate? twinkle in his big, deep, dark eyes. Come to After about a month, self-assured thatthink of it, his facial expressions mirrored hed secured his spot in our home, TeddysCary Grants. Who could resist this shaggy true personality unfolded like a stop-actionrakish fellow?filmofacaterpillar-to-cocoon-to-butterflyI was formally introduced to Teddy, the montage. Except, what emerged was morePHOTOGRAPH AURA LLEN TUDIOS BY two year-old ShihTzu, during a dog adop- likeMothra,ashezoomedfromroomtoS A L tion event The New Barker was co-hosting room,bouncingonandoffthefurniture,with Subaru of North Tampa, last June. His daring Dougie and Angel to join him. Hefoster parent, Charles Sims, a volunteer with wouldsneakintooneofourtwooffices,Florida Poodle Rescue, told me a bit about when unattended, snoop around and walkthedogattheendofhisleash.Teddy out with some important piece of paper orthoughtfullywatchedCharlesspeak,never receipt,thenripittoshredsbeforeweBeloved Chloe, Dougie, Rita, and Zoe. movingfromhissittingposition.Hisleft discovered the damage. In my heart forever. Anna Cooke hind leg stuck out like a bicycle kickstand as Was he testing us? Probably. I also likeiftokeephisround,slightlyoverweight tothinkheknewhewashome,safeandbodyfromtopplingover.WhenCharles loved, and was expressing his appreciation in was finished, Teddy looked at me, perhaps the most joyful way.We do not need magic waiting for some kind of praise.Wereteachingeachotherboundaries,to change the world. Ihavelearnedtoputupaninvisible and have learned to close our office doorsWe carry all the power force field anytime I attend adoption events (for the most part). Not an hour goes by thator visit shelters, otherwise our home would his presence does not draw a smile or laughwe need inside beoverrunwitharidiculousnumberof from us. There is this indescribable feelingourselves already: dogs, illegal for any residential area. For the whenIcatchTeddylookingatmefromwe have the power to most part, that protective barrier has worked wherever he is relaxing. Its such a look ofwelloverthelast18yearsofpublishing peaceful contentment.imagine better. The New Barker. The first time the shield To paraphrase Cary Grants character inwas pierced was by a Scottish Terrier named To Catch A Thief, You dont have to spend Dougie MacDougal. That was 14 years ago every day of your life proving youre a goodJ.K Rowling, author, duringanadoptioneventhostedbythe dog, but I do. Yes, Teddy, you are a veryphilanthropist and founder of Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin.good dog.the childrens charity, Lumos. Bringing Teddyintoouralreadytwo- InthisissueofTheNewBarker,wedog home was not planned. Life happens. touch on matters of diversity, inclusivity, andDogs beckon. The heart wants what it wants.equality with regards to animal sheltering,TheRuleofThree isarecommended adoptionprocesses,poverty,andbreedguideline for people who adopt a new dog. discrimination. It was not something we setThe first three days, allow the dog time to out to do. I only realized the ongoing themeadjusttohisnewsurroundings. Thenext as we were proofing the magazine towardsthree weeks are suggested for training and the end of production. bonding. The first three months, socializa- Our editorial intent is to always leavetion and training should continue. the readers feeling good after reading eachTeddytookadjustingtohisnewsur- issue of The New Barker, and perhaps a littleroundings with aplomb, jumping into our more informed. I hope you enjoy reading itbedthefirstnightwithoutbeinginvited. as much as we enjoyed creating it. U6THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'