I drove Jordan and Ethan to Tennessee over Spring Break to enjoy time with family. We took the small red civic to save on gas.
We went with two suitcases and a bag of goodies to snack on.
We came back with
...three suitcases
... a bag of goodies
...five chickens and
...a dog
Just a little backstory -
Phil hates dog. Well, hate may be a strong word......no, maybe it isn't. I personally think it is because he has super sensitive smell and everything always stinks - the animals and their food. But age does soften you up....a little. Actually, Ethan softens us up. Ethan is the youngest of five children and next year his last homebound sibling will be flying the coop. Ethan will be alone. That is a sad reality. So we decided Ethan needed a companion - a dog. I looked into getting a trained companion dog for children with disabilities, but the waiting list is very long and to be honest - there are children with more severe disabilities that could make better use of a professionally trained companion.
So I thought about a shelter dog.
My requirements?
Can't bark.
Can't jump.
Obeys instantly.
Not too big.
Not too small.
Won't jump all over you when you look at him.
Doesn't shed.
Not hyper.
There are more, but you get the idea.
I decided to check out the McKamey Animal Shelter in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Boy, was I impressed.
I have to admit, I was smitten. We stayed about an hour with him and then it was time for us to pick up my sister and head to lunch (we left the kids at home, of course).
All during lunch I thought about that silly dog. I took Sami to meet him.
Three hours later I walked out with our new dog. He is about two years old and no, he is not technically a pit bull, but he does kinda look like one.
Immediate reaction? Phone calls from all available children asking if dad had gone senile and/or crazy.
No.
Conversations trying to put guilt on mom and dad for not always allowing a dog in the house. They seem to have forgotten about the farm dog, rabbit, snakes, birds, ferret, cats, frogs, geckos, chameleon, rats, and other animals that have inhabited our home over the years. (Honestly, such selective memories :-)
Which leads me to our other acquisition......
The ladies....
It was an adventure getting the five chicks home with the dog sitting right next to them. It all went smooth until the cover came off the laundry basket and they starting flying out. Needless to say I had to pull over and rescue them before the dog got them. It was some eight hours, let me tell ya.
But we made it.
We are happy.
Ethan is happy. This is what he says every single day...."Axle loves me!"
Yes, we renamed him Axle so he would fit in at the bike shop, where he spends his afternoons until school is out.
Is he everything we wanted? Well, for the most part - YES.
He doesn't bark.
He doesn't demand attention, but he loves it when you give it.
He is smart.
He is learning quickly.
He loves Ethan and Jordan - (don't spread it around, but he and Phil even like each other a lot!)
He does shed, a little.
And he does smell like....a dog.
So that has been keeping us busy.....I have lost my camera battery charger so I am not able to take any pictures. Soon I will update everyone on other important things....as soon as I can think of some other important things :-)
Happy Weekend.
