Ginger Hutchison

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Our Story

Ginger, like the rest, came to us as a rescue. Her parents' humans hadn't seen fit to spay and neuter their dogs AND they let them run loose. When Ginger's mother gave birth, the puppies were basically just left to survive without human aid by the mom's human(s). neighbours collaborated to find homes for the pups once they were weaned, but no one really wanted to and/or was able to claim ownership of them or go to the expense or effort to vaccinate, license or alter them. All the puppies found homes except for one, who was sort of taken in by one of the neighbours while she tried to find the little pup, who she called Peanut, a home. Though she is to be commended for making an effort at all, for providing food and some form of shelter for an abandoned dog, the lady who was caring for her really didn't have the time or resources to commit to little "Peanut". We were searching for another doggie companion for Gina and someone to fill the doggie sized hole that Lizzy's passing had left when we found the ad in the Everett Herald, the same paper which had led us to Lizzy years before. I made arrangements to go and meet her the very next day, and, as with Lizzy, we all hit it off wonderfully and there was never really any question that this dog would be going home with us. By this time, "Peanut" was 6 months old. She had never even seen the inside of a house before. The closest she had come to being inside was in the garage during the bitterest cold nights of the winter. She had also never worn a leash, harness or collar, and she was scared to death of getting in the car, so it was clear that we had a bit of a challenge ahead of us, but it was nothing compared to some of the rescues who have wound up in my care. At least she hadn't been outright abused and not really physically neglected. Our first stop was the pet store for a collar and, of course, treats for both girls. She did fairly well in her car harness and leash for the first time, though she was definitely confused and wasn’t sure if she liked the whole leash idea. She was very patient about putting on her new collar that we bought for her. I imagine making a big fuss and giving her lots of treats helped! Next stop was Grandma and Grandpa's house (my parents) to meet them and their dogs, Katie and Daisy and to get a good night's sleep before driving back to Seattle, as we had all had a very long day! It was pretty obvious right away that "Peanut" didn't really fit her. It took a few days to settle on a name. Ginger just seemed right, but I was hesitant to go with that because it is so common, but in the end, it was what she responded best to and fit her just right, so she officially became Ginger. We're pretty sure that Ginger is at least mostly Rhodesian Ridgeback, judging by her looks, but we really don't have any way of knowing for sure what her parents were. In any case, she learned a few basic commands pretty quickly, and after several car trips that always were associated with going fun places and doing fun things, we no longer had to cram her into the car. We actually waited for a while for her first trip to the vet's office for shots and checkup and stuff for just that reason.. So she would see going for a ride in the car as a good thing. Normally, that would have been one of her first outings, but we figured it was better to get her happy with the car first. Thankfully, it worked! Even though the vet trip wasn't that fun for her, she still took a fast liking to Dr Young, our family vet of MANY years, just like all our furry family members have over the years and she was still perfectly happy to go in the car again afterward. Of course, the fact that we ALWAYS stop for burgers for the dogs on the way home from the vet probably doesn't hurt. Ginger adapted to indoor life rather quickly, and now her favourite place to be is sprawled out on a people bed. And if there are people in it.. all the better! Other than wrestling with other dogs, humans, or probably anyone else who will play with her, Ginger doesn't really have any favourite games she likes to play. She will occasionally take an interest in toys if the other dogs really entice her to play with them, but not usually of her own accord. Ginger is completely enthusiastic about meeting nearly ANYONE, regardless of species, to the point of rudeness at times... She still hasn't quite learned that you can't just run up to a complete stranger and kiss and hug them without a proper introduction. She just didn't see why everyone wasn't as outgoing as she. With proper training (she is going to be a service dog too), she will learn to calm down and be more polite!

(Originally published on original webpage in 2004)