Katie Shead, interviewed by volunteer Sarah O’Leary on 1/10/23
Today’s interview is with Katie Shead, who adopted DSR Pluto in October of 2022. Thanks again to Katie for agreeing to be interviewed! This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Sarah: Can you please give a little introduction about yourself?
Katie: I’m Katie Shead. I’m a mom of four kids. My husband and I have been married for 21 years, we’re high school sweethearts. Pluto is our second only dog. Our first dog was Guinness and she lived to be 14 and a half years old. And she just died of old age. So, when we saw Pluto, we weren’t even looking for a dog, and then we just fell in love with him.
Sarah: What drew you to Pluto initially and ultimately adopted him?
Katie: We went for a charity event at the brewery. My son wanted us to go to the adoption event, hoping that we would want a dog. My husband and I were looking around and Pluto just came right over to us. I was just like “Oh wow, I guess I’m going to put in an application for this dog.” And that’s pretty much it! It was just a great day that whole day and was wicked fun.
Sarah: I am curious about what a typical day would be like for Pluto?
Katie: Pluto sleeps in my bed and wakes me up at about 8:15 every day to go to the bathroom. So I usually just hook him up to a runner. Usually, I’m either downstairs like getting a coffee or whatever and he’ll knock on the door which is really funny. I feed him about a half an hour later. Then, we take a walk every morning. Pluto and I usually do three and a half miles before 11 AM. He likes to sleep which is a good thing but later in the day, he will get the zoomies and then we go for another walk around 3 PM. After running in the backyard, he will come in and he plays tug of war with the kids. He loves to play! He has a raccoon that we got him when we first met and he still has it. He didn’t rip that one up which is kind of funny. Then, we’ll go to bed and he’ll fall asleep on the floor and then go right up onto the bed.
Sarah: Amazing! You listed a bunch of things that Pluto likes to do but what do you think is his favorite thing to do?
Katie: He likes his raccoon a lot which has a squeaker in it. He enjoys it when I put peanut butter in his Kong. He also has a koala toy that is hard to tear up which is great. He really likes to just play with the kids. He’s full of energy so it’s good for them.
Sarah: Do you have any fun stories of Pluto that you could share with us?
Katie: There are so many different things. When we first got him, he would sit for us and now he gives us one paw and then the other, lays down, and he’s working on rolling over. I have one son, Zachary, who will say “Pluto!” and he will literally lay on his back with his paws up for Zachary to scratch his belly. He is funny because it said that he was cat friendly but our cats do not like him. One of the cats is tolerant of Pluto and the other wants nothing to do with him, but he will try to interact with the cats because he is a very curious dog. Pluto is a hyper dog but you know my kids are hyper as well so it’s a perfect mix.
Sarah: I’m so glad to hear that! Have you seen any changes in Pluto’s personality or characteristics of his since you’ve had him?
Katie: When we first got him he would not let my husband go near him. He would still let him pet him and everything but it seemed like he was almost protecting me. Now, Pluto absolutely loves my husband! Pluto is allowing more people closer to him. He is perfect when new people come into the house, but we are still working on fully trusting Pluto and our cats to be together unsupervised.
Sarah: Yay, I am glad to hear about this progress! Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten much snow for Pluto’s sake but for the little bit that we did get, how did he respond to it?
Katie: Once he knew what it was, he laid down and started rolling around in the snow. Also, Pluto likes going on the trampoline and jumping on it.
Sarah: That is hilarious! Well, that wraps up the questions I had planned. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Katie: Pluto is doing really well with other dogs. When we go on a walk, there is a shorter street with about 12 houses on it and at every house, Pluto has to stop and say “hi” to every dog. He is doing really well!
Sarah: That is amazing to hear! I am so happy for you and your family. Well, Katie, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. It was an absolute pleasure!