🐾 The Tractor Supply Adventure
I may look confident now — a seasoned pro at squirrel surveillance and horse-photo stakeouts — but my very first big adventure as a newly adopted dog was anything but smooth.
It happened right after I left the rescue. My hoomans had just picked me up and were taking me home when we made an important pit stop: Tractor Supply. Apparently, I needed a few essentials before I could officially start my new life — a crate big enough to fit all thirty-eight pounds of poodle perfection, a new collar, and of course… a toy.
Sounds simple, right? Well, to me, it felt like I had just landed on another planet. Everything was new — new smells, new people, new sounds. I didn’t know these hoomans yet, and they didn’t know me. And though I didn’t bark or yelp or make a scene, I couldn’t quite relax. My tail was low, my paws moved a little too quickly, and I tugged at the leash, not to run away but because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do.
We walked the aisles — them picking things up, me sniffing every corner — and eventually they chose a strong new collar. My mom said it was just in case I got scared and tried to run. I wasn’t planning on it, but looking back, I understand. The world was big and loud, and I was still trying to figure out my place in it.
When it came time to pay, Jim went to the counter, and Mom took me outside to wait in the parking lot. I remember sitting there, the cool air swirling around me, my paws shifting on the pavement. I wasn’t panicked — just… uncertain. Nervous. The kind of nervous you feel when everything in your life has changed in one day.
They picked out a toy too — a thoughtful gesture I appreciated, even if I’ve never played with it (what can I say, I have discerning taste). But the best part of that stop wasn’t the crate or the collar or even the toy. It was the moment we climbed back into the car. I settled into my seat, and for the first time since leaving the rescue, I felt something important: safe.
That drive home was the start of everything. I didn’t know it yet, but I was heading toward warm beds, good meals, squirrel patrol assignments, and a lifetime of love.
📖 Want to know how I claimed my new home on day one? Read The Day Everything Changed.
🐾 Nose boops and tail wags,
Tucker