All right, let's see if I can get caught up here a little bit with the storytelling.
Yesterday, der Brucer decided that the weather was good enough to put Zeus on display. It was a crisp autumn day, with just enough sun to fool me into thinking that I wouldn't need a coat of any kind. Fortunately, der B had packed an extra coat for such an emergency.
We ran a couple of fliers about Zeus on the color printer, with his picture and a description of his health and situation. Zeus, for those who haven't kept track, is our foster dog, about seven years old, looking to be part collie/part retriever, with other parts mixed in as well. His previous owners had found him by the side of the road, either lost or abandoned, when he was about six months old. Six years later, his family was having to give up their home to move in with the mother-in-law's apartment, and there simply wasn't any room for Zeus. The teenaged daughter was shedding tears as we picked him up a week ago; we promised her that we would find Zeus the best home possible.
He's an even-tempered dog, great on a leash, loves getting pets from passers-by, wonderful with children. He's had all his shots. The only problem that we can think of is his dislike of cats.
Our first stop on Sunday afternoon was a place called Aqua, which has a large patio in front. Once a month, they have a Doggy-Hour for the Delaware Humane Society, where dogs of all kinds who need homes are brought to meet perspective owners. We were a week early, but we wanted to make sure Zeus was comfortable with being shown off. He absolutely was happy in his environment. He quickly made friends with Antonio, the ten-year-old son of the cook. But it was a bit late in the afternoon when we got there, and there were no other customers.
From Aqua, and at the suggestion of the Aqua staff, we headed over to Cafe Zeus. Owners Charles and John are friends of ours, and named the cafe after one of their labradors. We checked first, and were invited to take Zeus to the back patio, where a gathering of friends was taking place.
Charles and John had just had quite a weekend. They were sold out on most of their menu, and had printed up a special limited menu to help steer customers towards what was still in their kitchen. As Charles, the chef of the duo, noted, they had run through eighteen dozen eggs for brunch alone. In fact, they were down to just two entrees: beef tournedos and sun-dried tomato sauce with potato straws, and Ahi tuna steak with flat bread and mixed field greens. (Of course, Charles' take on lobster bisque is amazing all on it's own.)
So, we joined Charles and John and some of their friends out on the patio. They had also had a promotion going on during brunch for some of Dame Edna's DVDs, a couple of which ended up in my hands.
Zeus immediately attracted attention from everyone. In particular, a husband and wife named Greg and Daphne were interested in him. Greg isn't exactly a total pushover when it comes to animals, but he was zeroing in on Zeus within moments of our arrival.
At this point, I made a mistake. Der Brucer wanted a martini, two olives, but not with what he's been drinking lately, a brand of gin called Junipero. So, not knowing much about gin, which I cannot drink, I ordered something for him that I knew he'd ordered before, with Bombay Sapphire Gin. I had no idea that the brew was as strong, if not stronger, than Junipero. Me, I stuck to a rail Manhattan.
So, while Greg and der B were convincing Daphne that adding Zeus to their family was a good idea (Zeus doing his part by loving every stroke Daphne made through his locks), the first drinks disappeared. A second round was ordered.
By the time the second round was pretty much finished, it was agreed that Greg would be giving us a call soon. It was a good thing that that's as far as things went yesterday, because der B was barely in shape to get us home again.
Greg and Daphne haven't called yet, but our hopes for Zeus are still good. Charles and John would have given us a signal if they didn't think the couple would be a good match.
And that's where we stand, at least for the moment.
