Next up in my menagerie is Wally.

Eight years ago, when Marin Humane sent me on an errand to the Berkeley animal shelter, little did I know I’d be meeting my next dog. Now don’t get me wrong; I had no intention of looking for nor finding another canine. But as fate would have it…

When I pulled up to the facility, a man passed by walking an adoption dog, a black dachshund-spaniel mix. I’m partial to spaniels so he caught my eye. But I told my eye to quit looking, reminding myself I have more than enough pets. Well, plain and simple, my eye refused to look away.

A couple days later, I couldn’t stop thinking of the dog. So I grabbed my friend Sue and we went back to Berkeley. The dog was still there so we took him for a walk. He was a perfect angel, never tugged on the leash and not a bark out of him at passing cars, people, and other animals. Just what I wanted, a well-behaved dog.

While interviewing for possible adoption, I discovered the dog was previously adopted but his guardian returned him upon realizing he didn’t travel well to and from the guardian’s job in the city. Apparently he was a nervous Nellie with a tendency toward motion sickness. Well, I’m fine with that. So bingo bango, I had my next pet.

The ride home with the newly named Wally was interesting. He kept Sue’s lap warm but within minutes the drooling began. I’m not talking a little saliva. No, this was a full-on waterfall flowing from both sides of his mouth. I felt sorry for Wally but worse for Sue, whose bare arms received the aftermath. Still, she kept holding him and never once said, “Eww!”

By the time we pulled into Marin Humane, Wally couldn’t hold it back anymore and promptly vomited on Sue’s shoes. And thus began my adventures with Wally. First off, nobody told me dachshunds are known for being difficult to house train. My friend Patty has two of them so she warned me about this…AFTER I adopted Wally.

Let’s just say the spaniel in him isn’t front and center. For instance, Wally couldn’t grasp the concept that outside the house is his toilet. Even though I have a dog door, whenever I left the house the little fella wore a belly band.

Wouldn’t you think the humiliation alone would cure his indoor deposits? Turns out Wally doesn’t embarrass easily. But after a couple of years (yes, it took that long) he finally figured it out. And to that I say, Hallelujah! He’s not quite the brightest pup but his cuteness makes up for it, don’t you think?

Wally’s many quirks include an obsession with chasing lasers or anything shiny and moving. He gets into mischief with toilet paper and is known to stick his nose into the litter box. When I’m petting one of the dogs, he pushes his way between us, insisting on equal time. Oh, and it turns out Wally fooled me — he’s definitely a barker. Also, when on walks, he pulls me down the block — yep, he’s a puller. And he especially enjoys watching me write my blog.

Having said all this, Wally has many endearing qualities. The one I love most? He adores me.