Well, I have two confessions. And don't be disappointed in me for either.
The first is that, no matter how much I love my precious dog Berkley, our home is not the fun, inviting, horse-friendly home that she needs. Bella and Bruiser would never accept or play with her. And half the mornings I woke up puking may have been me sick with worry over what I'd have to clean in her crate when I went to let her out. And so, after bawling my eyes out for an entire afternoon, Berkley went to live with my older bro-in-law Michael and my sis Jen and their fabulous family.
Now when I think about it, this is perfect for OH so many reasons, three of them being Alex (9), Conner (7), and Chloe (5). I'm not sure who is wearing out whom at this point, but I do know that free-spirited Conner spent yesterday evening careening recklessly around the backyard with Berk. I'm sure they both slept well last night. Also, Michael has vowed to start running again, and Berk will be the perfect running partner, fantastic for both of them.
On top of that, Berkley has already found two hidden tennis balls in the yard, which for her is the equivalent of winning the million-dollar lottery. And good for me is the fact that the Dants live approximately 3 minutes from me, 2 if I just run there and hop the railroad tracks. Besides, why would a puppy want to live with two old souls like Nate and I when she could be busy chasing three kids around with a smile on her face (I'm not even kidding - the dog smiles when she's chasing the Dantlets).
And so I'm sad, but I know that it's for the best for everyone involved. (sniffle) In a few days I may stop feeling so heartbroken about losing my big ol' girl.
So that brings me to Confession #2, which I swore I would never tell anyone (but I just can't hide it anymore)...
I love Texas Country Reporter. It is, in fact, one of my favorite tv shows. I love the host, Bob Phillips, and have become a fan of the show on Facebook. I'm using the show to make a list of places in Texas I want to visit. I even (shhhhhhhh) TiVo the show so I can watch it whenever I want, and have started devising a plot to lure him to Lufkin. Oh, it's bad, friends. I was moved literally to tears by the episode with the Dinner Garden (if you haven't seen it, you should really look it up). I'm blaming it on the fact that the show was just so darn comforting to me on a few really sick days, and now I'm just plain nostalgic. It's true. I love this show and I'm not even from Texas.
Do you think Illinois feels like I'm cheating on it?
Sounds like a great home for Berkley!
ReplyDeleteOne more dog suggestion and then I am done. :) You might want to suggest to your brother to spend a lot of time socializing Berkley. A Chessie breed characteristic is that they can be protective of their owners. With so many children in that house, they will have friends coming over and sometimes children playing (chasing, screaming) can appear as aggressive behavior to a protective dog.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have children, but our neighbors do. We invited the neighbor children to play with our dogs whenever they were out. While our doggies may be concerned when an adult enters their territory, they love children of all ages.
OK all done. It was fun reading about your puppy. Good luck with the baby! Hope you aren't too busy to blog in a few months!