by Carrie Goldberger

Dexter—named for the boy genius and not the charming serial killer—was adopted from and then returned to Austin Pets Alive! several times before we met him. Naturally, he had some trust issues that made it even harder for him to find his people. But when we saw him at the shelter, I could see his sweet personality through his tough exterior, and I was determined to get him out of his stressful situation and into a loving home. Paul, my now-fiancé, is even more of a softie than I am, and he was totally on board.

Our first days with Dex were a little rough as we learned just how deep his mistrust of people went. At the time, we were just a week away from moving in together, so it was just Dexter and me at home. But Paul made sure to come over after work every night to walk him, get to know him, and start earning his trust. Soon, Dex started to warm up to us, settling into his job as chief fly catcher, showing off his goofy side, and becoming more cuddly with us every day. He loved other dogs, and he quickly became best friends with our new roommates' dog, Iroh. But other people were still a huge source of anxiety, and Dexter would bark and lunge at company at home and sometimes even strangers on walks. We knew how sweet our boy was, and we desperately wanted to help him learn how to trust people. We took him to a behavioral trainer, and I'm so glad we did. We needed the tools to help him as much as he needed the tools to feel safe. Looking back, I did many things wrong in those early days, and it's no wonder he felt he had to take charge of the situation.

Dex is still a little skeptical of people, but he's learned to be polite when we have friends over, and when he does let people in, he's so loving! We no longer live with our old roommates, but they're still some of his best buddies. In fact, our old roommate Marcie came over recently and asked him to "give a kiss," and Dex jumped up and bumped her mouth with his nose.

What has Dexter taught me? Since he was returned to Austin Pets Alive! so many times, I don't doubt that Dex would have been euthanized in many other cities. Having worked with him, I have much more sympathy for people with dogs, but I also have more patience with people in general. Knowing that Dex, Paul, and I are doing the best we can, I'm more likely to give other people the benefit of the doubt and assume they're doing the best they can with their situation as well—or at least realize they might have a history I don't know about.

I love Dexter!