And Dog Makes Six
Our older son started asking for a puppy well over two years ago. He would go through periods of asking almost every day and then back of for a month or two. Susan, who had grown up with a Golden Retriever was also quite interested. Our younger son was neutral on the question. But our daughter and I were the holdouts. Our daughter was worried that we would get an animal, become attached to it and then something bad would happen (not exactly sure where that fear came from). I did not like the idea of getting a new dog when so many dogs were already not finding homes (plus I was worried about getting stuck with walking the dog). All of that changed when our daughter did some volunteer work at a local animal shelter. She fell in love with several of the dogs there and I was able to convince my son and wife that getting a dog from a shelter was the way to go.
Well, as of yesterday we have Duncan at our house. Duncan is a mix of Golden Retriever with something (probably a Yellow Lab). He was found roaming a highway in North Carolina and then was at a kill shelter there. Through a series of volunteers, including a volunteer pilot, Duncan (then called Traffic because of where he was found) was transferred to Pets Alive Westchester. We had been on a waitinglist for a Golden Retriever and got a call while we were away on vacation last week. We went to visit Pets Alive yesterday and immediately bonded with Duncan. We adopted Duncan on the spot and everyone in the family has rallied around the latest member of the Wenger household. The kids already walked the dog this morning – twice!
PS: For those keeping track, this will definitely put a crimp on our plans to move back to the city. Now looking for a place that will allow dogs!