Two-Dog Life

A year ago, we had a no-dog life. After all, two parents with full-time careers and three small kids have no time for a dog. Plus, Zuzu has allergies and asthma, so any dog situation would require a lot of forethought. We had lots of conditions for getting a dog: hypo-allergenic, able to come to preschool with me every day-because any dog we have will be part of the family and can't be home alone!, not too big and not too small, just playful enough but not overly energetic…the list went on. Let's just say, we totally GOT where the Obamas were coming from. 

We had, the fall before last, finally broken through to the world of furry animals. One day, a hamster had wandered home with me from the animal shelter. Ian was not amused, but even he grew to love Puffin, who was pretty darn funny for a hamster. Mammals have a lot more personality than fish. We all grieved terribly when Puffin died. Mammals with short life spans leave bigger holes in the heart than fish, too.

Fast forward to last summer. Last camping trip of the year to Pearrygin Lake, just outside Winthrop, WA. The friends we were with had gone home, it was Saturday morning, and we were wondering what to do. According to Ian, the neighboring town of Twisp had a great bakery (they do-Cinnamon Twisp alone is worth the 4 hour drive from Seattle), and I remembered that I had seen a notice for the Farmer’s Market. Ian smiled, remembering his childhood visits where people sometimes had boxes of kittens that they were giving away. Super-cat allergies in our house are off the hook! No worries at all.

Except that right outside the Market was not a box of kittens, but a wonderful woman named Ruthie with two yellow lab puppies. The puppies were laying in the sun, fast asleep, with kids crawling over them, picking them up, pulling their ears and tails…and on they slept. Interesting. Our kids, of course, had to join in the fun. No problem-we carry Benadryl everywhere, so Zuzu’s inevitable allergy attack would be manageable. Except there was never an allergy attack, and never any wheezing. We walked through the Market, glad that we had met the puppies because surely, they would be sold when we got back. The female was still available once we had finished shopping. Uh oh. Ian refused to look the puppy in the (big, brown, mischievous) eyes.

And so, our life with Ginger had begun. We never realized how much we had been missing. She was the perfect dog. Mostly potty-trained when we got her, we had minimal accidents in the house. She loved coming to preschool every day, and was such a blessing to kids who needed a little something more. She passed her therapy dog testing with flying colors-only the 4^th puppy ever certified. She’s so smart and interested in everything, Ian is thinking of pheasant hunting-after all, he has an amazing bird dog. Ginger is the perfect dog, and now that I am “retired”, we’ll have so much more great time together!

Family circumstances led us to California twice in as many months. California is where Max lives. Max is Ginger’s bosom buddy, my dad’s dog: a little older than Ginger, slightly different coloring, same spirit. They go for hours. And after they spent time together in July, Ian started talking about another dog. And how great it would be for Ginger. How much easier it would be for me if she had a playmate to leave her with when I had to go somewhere without her. And he kept talking, for weeks. So now, we have Bella.

Bella is a Springer Spaniel who will be two in October. She weighs 45 pounds but thinks she is a lap dog. She has terrible gas. She is, as Ian says, “stupid happy”. She is the best thing that has happened to us since Ginger.

The video shows what our life has become, often for hours a day. While I was writing this, their wrestling match was in full swing. They jumped off the floor and onto the couch, hitting my desk and sending a full mug of chicken broth flying. (They settled down a lot after the ensuing chaos.) They are nutty and silly; they bark at shadows, they are underfoot. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Much like we wondered how we would manage three kids, we thought we were nuts for getting two dogs. But much like the kids, the joy they bring far outweighs the sorrows. There is always one willing to snuggle if you feel down. There is always one to make you smile. There is often one driving you crazy, but another is there to remind you about all their best qualities. They make us laugh every day. They are happy to just BE. And we are blessed to be a part of a two-dog life.