The 3-3-3 Rule:

 It is commonly stated that when adopting a new dog that you give them 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn your routine and 3 months to become a member of the family. Rex  had a confusing history where he had been dumped at the same shelter two different times. He had a date and time certain to be put down. He came from Dallas TX. 

We adopted him very close to his deadline and then he had to be cleared at the vet in order to travel across state lines. So he was taken by a stranger to the vet and checked out and then went back to the shelter where he was placed in an isolation cage where he had to wait for three days and then was picked up by strangers. Put into a crate in the back of a SUV and driven over the next day to us. We have no idea what his trip was  like. 

He was then handed off to strangers (us) and had to adapt to two new people, a different environment and three new dogs. He then quickly was taken to a new vet and again checked over and put on a strict regime of no activity due to having heartworm.  He is one intelligent boy who knew this was his new home and was fully settled in within 10 days. Not all dogs comply with the 3-3-3. rule and Rex sure did not. 

He has since lost one of his canine friends to pancreatic carcinoma and grieved right along with the other dogs and us. He obviously is quite flexible and adjusts well. It has been a rough 3 months for him but he has become a solid member of our family. He is an inspiration and both Klaus and Lucy have accepted him 100% into our pack. I don't know many humans that could have done as well.