The Empty Nest is Full of Fur

When our Boston Terrier Betsy died in 2010, I swore we would never get another dog. With one child in college and another close to graduating high school I could taste freedom. I pictured my husband and I taking trips on the weekend with only our aging kitty to worry about. The cat was low maintenance with her litter box and automatic feeding bowl.

A few years later our college age daughter moved home to finish school and begged for a dog. She promised to take it with her when she moved. We agreed and she selected a rescue pup with white fur and black spots and named her Jagger.

Not long after she brought the puppy home we realized she was mostly Blue Heeler, also known as an Australian Shepherd and descended from the Dingo. That might explain the constant nipping at our heels and the biting of our feet. This adorable puppy quickly earned the nickname, Cujo.

Once she settled down Cooper unexpectedly came into our lives. My husband knew Cooper’s owner and when the man died unexpectedly and family was unwilling to take the adorable little Shih Tzu we welcomed him with open arms.

Who can resist a dog that looks like an Ewok?

Over the next year my husband spent a lot of time at the Macon Dog Park. With Jagger’s high activity needs and our lack of a fenced-in yard, the dog park quickly became like a second home to him and that’s how we wound up with Duncan.

Duncan was abandoned at the Macon Dog Park with a Ziploc bag full of a food and a note taped to the fence saying he needed a new home. This wiry-haired boy, who looked most like a Cairn Terrier, gazed at my husband with those sad, brown eyes and into the car he went.

Through some friends I connected with at Atlanta Pet Rescue and on the very day Duncan was supposed to go for his “temperament visit”, I just couldn’t do it. After six weeks of fostering I had become attached and selfishly Duncan and Jagger had become best friends and spent hours wrestling and running around the house.

If anyone had told me three years ago that I would have three dogs and one cat (yes she is still with us) I would have told them they were insane. However, somehow the dogs have filled a void left when our children grew up.

When we come home in the evening the three of them are standing at the dog gate that separates the front door from the back hall. They are clearly happy to see us and ready to put their leashes on and head out for a walk.

Do I wish my house had a little less dog fur? Yes. Would I give them up? Some days I joke about it but in reality they make our house more of a home.