#2491 our pack just grew

 On New Year’s Eve, MT and I were sitting around, drinking a beer, when MT casually mentioned that he thought Mac needed a friend and said that we should get another dog. I was really skeptical. This time last year, as Osi was going through her end stage, I told both T and MT that Osi would be my last dog. Her illness was so prolonged and she was on so much medication, that I just didn’t want to go through any of that again. Getting Mac was a real leap of faith and one that was not easy. I just made my peace with Mac and made her my friend! Did I really want to take on another dog right now?

The thought stayed with me, though. Maybe having another dog would mellow Mac out and not make her as needy. She likes constant attention. Would another dog play with her and keep her entertained? Would they be best friends?

What kind of dog would we be willing to bring into the house? The smaller the dog, the bigger the price tag, it seems, so even though I might love to have a little poodle type dog, I am unwilling to fork over that kind of money. I don’t think a little poodle would be the best playmate for Mac anyway. She plays rough and a little dog wouldn’t be able to take it. I even had my doubts about a puppy. 

I was browsing through the KSL Classifieds this afternoon, and I saw an ad for yellow lab that was being re-homed because her people didn’t have the room to let her run around. I’ve always kind of wanted a yellow lab. When I was a kid I was in doggy 4-H. There was a boy, Mark, who had a yellow lab called Goldie. I thought Goldie was the smartest, prettiest dog in our group. When I saw the ad the the lab, I decided to text the owner.

He replied right away that the dog was still available. (It was a really new ad.) With an hour, the dog and her people were in my back yard. The dog, Harley (her humans spelled it Hrly), is a sweet girl. She and Mac are about the same size. Harley is a little more filled out, but I bet they weigh about the same. They ran around the yard, wrestling, chasing each other, and playing (kinda rough play on Mac’s end). Her humans and I talked about why they were giving her up. I could tell they were sad about letting her go, but they also said a few times as they watched the dogs play, that this type of life was what they wanted her to have. 

Harley is friendly and sweet. She was not shy with MT or with T or me, coming right up to us for pets and ear scratches. 

Of course we agreed to take her. It was all kind of serendipitous, don’t you think?

    

Yeah, it’s a lot of dog we’ve got in the house now. They have been playing hard, both of them panting and growling and nipping. Harley likes bones. Mac has lots of bones, but she doesn’t really like them, until now. The minute Harley picks up a bone, Mac wants it. It’s been a tiring evening. I’m looking forward to them settling down.

I have to go to the office tomorrow, but T will be home and I’m hopeful that he will give up some sleep time to play with the girls. I’ll probably come home for lunch to check on everyone and everything. 

What am I thinking? Am I crazy? I’m crazy, aren’t I? We’ll be okay, though, right?