Meet 'Miss Mel' Malone

 I've been looking for a schnauzer since we lost Ginger in 1987. That's a long time to wait. At first I don't think we could have handled it ... the loss was too painful. But as the years have passed, I've again been searching.

 A couple of months ago I sent an application for a rescue dog that met all of our needs: middle-age, a true schnauzer (rather than a mix) and female. But I waited a little too long and the dog was adopted before we had a chance.

 I kept scanning Petfinder regularly. Nothing. Then, finally "Melodie" came along, housed at a schnauzer rescue organization in Cincinnati. Here's the pictures they posted:

 "Melodie was a stray found by a Good Samaritan", the ad said. She was "about five years old", house-trained, spayed and was current with all of her shots. Perfect, we said. And so we applied.

 Yesterday Bob offered to drive down to Cincinnati (actually Hamilton) to meet her (1:30 pm) and then bring her home. Poor Mel was shaking like a leaf. Soon she calmed. We completed the necessary paperwork and had her home by 3 pm.

 Here's the first picture taken of her at Pinehaven:

 Last evening she seemed to be adjusting nicely. When I took her out at bedtime, though, she did not make use of the time to potty. We got into bed by 9 pm and Mel settled in easily, finding the bottom of the bed to her liking. She preferred sleeping on my feet but I managed to free them a couple of times. Even though my bedroom is chilly (65°) she did not like having a blanket pulled atop her.
 A few times during the night I heard her softly snoring. Every now and then she'd wake, lift her head and look at me and then lie back down when she was satisfied that I was still there.

 Yesterday Bob's wife, Nancy, stopped by to see Mel. That's her hand holding the dog still while I took this picture.

 She looks like a little gray ghost, doesn't she? Though considered "salt and pepper", Mel is much more salt. She's almost white-gray, a perfect color. She has a small apricot-colored patch on her left haunch. Beneath her nose and on her chin the hairs are dark.

 Here she is sitting on my bed.
 Are there any problems? Indeed there are: she doesn't appear to be completely house-trained. Twice today we have been surprised by bowel movements. One was at the room at the top of the stairs and again in the kitchen (both on carpet). I cleaned the first; Mom handled the second because I was outside. I have given Mel ample time outside, walked her considerably around the yard today. She urinated twice. We can't keep an eye on her every minute we're in the house or we'd get nothing else done. In neither case did she ask to go out.
 So, we'll have to see how the week ahead goes. She's a lovely little creature but with this one very bad habit. Is it simply the move to a new home? The anxiety of being in strange surroundings?

Follow-up: Unfortunately we returned Mel on December 2. She seemed not to be housebroken at all and the training we were facing was more than we wanted to tackle. I know, it would have taken time. On the plus side, she was very happy to see her foster father and wiggled all over when she spotted him. Mel, at least returned to a loving foster home. It is a sad loss for us ... but our carpets rejoice. [12/15/13]