Bobby's Homecoming!

Yesterday was finally the day. I was trying to fit in as much 'to do' as I could so I wouldn't be counting the hours all day. I was doing really well around 18:00, we'd been to a pet shop to buy some treats and then to lunch and were pretty much on schedule to hit the road. According to the schedule Bobby was due in from Spain (via Brussels) at 21:45. The plan was that we would drive to my mother's and then wait there a while before going to the airport. However the wait turned out to be much longer than I thought. At first I got a message when we were still on our way to my mum's that the flight would be coming in at 22:45. When we got to my mother's I checked the airport web pages and the whole 21:45 flight from Brussels was canceled! I panicked but then realized that they would be on the next flight in (22:45). At about 21:30 I checked again (ok, I was checking the whole time, but that was when there was a change) and the flight had been bounced to 23:25. By this time I was going seriously psycho.

Don't I look weary but psycho?

Then finally at 23:15 we left my mother's apartment to go to the airport. There was a lot more snow in Helsinki than Tampere, believe it or not and my mum was driving in front of us super slowly because of the ice and I was thinking if we're late they'll think we are the worst owners and take him away! I was also worried that Bobby would freeze his butt off (coming from sunny Spain +20 to snowy Finland -6 is enough of a shock). At the airport I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up. Every time the doors opened to let someone out of the baggage claim/customs my heart flipped. Thankfully a man came over and asked us if we were waiting for a Spanish dog (he was waiting for Miia, the lady bringing the dogs LOL) and said that there were three dogs coming and that they would be coming out soon (soon seemed like a lifetime!).

Guess where my Bobby is?

Then at last a a huge parade of people came out. One of the airport attendants was wheeling two large crates. I desperately tried peering into them to see my Bobby but all I could see was two big dogs, a dalmatian and a rottweiler. I kind of panicked again desperately trying to find where my Bobby could be. Gladly my confused, panicky psychoticness didn't last for long since Miia asked who was there for Bobby. Then proceeded to open the red sports bag (next to her foot in the picture) and out popped the most adorable little doggy I have ever seen. Everyone sort of gasped and I heard one of the other new owners say "OMG so small!" and after that I didn't really hear anything because I was so busy greeting my baby!

Sniffing love.

Bonding at the airport was a little hard since our Bobby is really curious and was much more interested in the other two dogs to take much notice of his new family. The dalmatian was a little worn out. I think he'd been abused before coming into the shelter because he was really shy and had some cuts on his body. He'd been sick already in the car on the way to the airport in Spain and also during the flight in his crate. He was really jumpy and shy but our Bobby seemed to give him some encouragement and licky love. The rottweiler was hilairious! His owners looked like the perfect rottweiler owners, sort of goth/punk/metal meets Pirates of the Caribbean. The dog got out of the crate took one look at his new owners, rolled over onto his back and began receiving the most love filled scratching and petting I have ever seen! It was a heartwarming sight.

After getting Bobby's passport and other paperwork we were ready to hit the road again. The navigator we had gave us the weirdest route ever (through small roads, fields and forests). By the time we got home it was almost 3:00 in the morning. We gave Bobby some food and realized that he was eating really strangely. On further inspection I noticed that he is missing some of his teeth! Still he ate all that we gave him. Then shuffled over to the doggy bed we'd got him (I wasn't sure if he wanted to sleep with us and decided that if he did he would come on his own accord). He slept nicely all night until about 7:30 when he saw an opportunity, when I rolled on to my side, and jumped onto the bed, stretched out like a sausage roll and proceeded to lick my shoulder, hand, face... when I began petting him he flipped onto his back and demanded stomach rubs. I LOVE THIS DOG!!

My little Poochie-boo.

At 8:00 we got up to take him for a tour of the block. He was sniffing and marking every possible object, but didn't poo yet (Should I be worried? I haven't seen him poo yet...LOL). Then we came back inside and he immediately went back to bed. I put a chair next to the computer, put his bed on the chair, Bobby on the bed and he's been sleeping ever since.