Monday, July 26, 2010

Our Growing Family

A little over a week ago, Marc and I took Jonathan to the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Massachusetts. We were on our way to a play date at a friend's house and decided to kill some time, or at least that's what we thought pulling into the parking lot. What we didn't know at that moment was that our family would be growing again. In this case, we were welcoming not one but two dogs into the mix....yes, two adorable 4-year old yellow labs with a combined weight of 172 lbs. It's true, Marc and I tend to act on impulse, especially when our heartstrings are being pulled. Usually it works out for the best, which is luckily what happened here. One look that these two dogs and we were smitten. The car ride home was an interesting one to say the least.

A little about our two new family members - Bobby and Babe were born from the same litter. Their prior owners had brought them to the no-kill shelter the day before. As is often the case, the family was moving and could not take the dogs with them. (It would kill me to have to make that kind of decision.) Anyway, the dogs had been together since birth so adopting just one was completely out of the question. One of the staff members mentioned that a few years back, the prior owners had intended to take only Bobby, who was one of the larger male puppies of the bunch. But seeing as how he was ultra protective of the runt of the litter, his sister Babe, they simply didn't have the heart to leave her behind, especially considering she was also the last one remaining. And so, they decided to take them both and the pair have been inseparable ever since.

Bobby
This is Bobby. He's a rather big fella weighing in at a 111 lbs. Needless to say, he's now on a diet. He spends most of his day chewing on his stuffed lambie and loves it when you scratch behind his ears. I would describe Bobby as simply a walking bundle of love. When out in the garden, he doesn't like to be more than a few feet away from his sister (or run much for that matter). Bobby is also effortlessly endearing. This morning, he walked into the kitchen with one of Jonathan's rather large stuffed animals dangling from one side of his mouth and looked up at us with an expression that read, "Can I chew on this?" We couldn't help but laugh.

Babe
And this is Babe the runt, weighing in at 61 lbs. She is innately curious and extremely loving as well. When not running around the yard at lighting speed, she loves to torture her brother by taking his toys away, which he happily relinquishes every time. She just likes to prove that she's faster than he is. Babe also loves to lick her brother's ears and face at night, which is probably one of his favorite things as well.

Bobby and Jonathan
So there you have it - our growing family. Aside from vacuuming the house everyday, our lives haven't changed all too much. In fact, it seems as though Bobby and Babe have always been a part of our family. I'm sure Jonathan would agree.

30 comments:

  1. That is so wonderful that you are opening your homes to take in these new dogs. They are beautiful!

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  2. I had a feeling the surprise was going to be a dog in the family! Two is even better!! We have a brother and sister pair, and I have never, never regretted getting two of them. You will love the labs, they are just the greatest dogs. We had one for twelve years, before Otto and Annie came into our lives. We loved that dog so much, we said we'd never have another, because none could take his place. It took us 10 years to change our minds. I must say, he did shed. A lot.

    Congratulations. Granny is doing the happy dance :-D

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  3. Congratulations! Both look so beautiful, although you are right, Bobby could loose weight. Lucky Jonathan has new playmates!

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  4. Oh, congratulations!!

    Dogs make life so much better :)

    And dog fur is *fantastic* for keeping rabbits out of the garden, so by shedding, they are merely trying to help!!!

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  5. Even though I'm really a cat person, I can't help but love these two! :D

    I used your recipe and made picked radishes yesterday - they're divine! I'm not sure they'll last very long though ...they're just too good already! Thanks for sharing that with us :D

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  6. Yea for dogs! Enjoy them. You did a wonderful thing by adopting them.

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  7. Oh boy! Life with dog hair! I've got three dogs, so, I know all about it.

    Congratulations on your new additions! They too will bring you endless joy (most days :-) )

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  8. Adorable additions to the family. Enjoy!
    Oh, and another beautiful harvest.

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  9. When you mentioned in a previous post that you have added to your family, I didn't expect this. Not one, but two yellow labs!! Oh my! You are going to have so much fun! They will entertain you endlessly, chase the critters away from your gardens, and become great pals for Jonathan.

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  10. What a beautiful pair ! Congrats on the new addition ! They sure have landed in a wonderful home.

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  11. You brought happy tears to my eyes! How wonderful for the dogs, and for your family! I have never been without dogs, cannot imagine life without them. Two dogs is no more work than one, so don't worry about that! And love that your got some recycled dogs, they are the best kind, it's like "they know" and appreciate their family all the more. Dog hair is annoying, I have to sweep every day, sometimes twice if company is coming but I wouldn't change it for anything. Take all that hair and stuff it into suet cages and hang from the trees, you will attract all kinds of birds nesting there in the winter, that will make the hair easier to deal with LOL. And how about 2 dads who scored MAJOR cool points with Jonathan?! I believe every kid should grow up with a dog, that unconditional love is hard to find elsewhere in the world. Can't wait to see the antics of the newest "gardeners" :)!

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  12. They're beautiful. We have a yellow lab that was given to us from a client of Hubby's that couldn't care for him anymore. He is the sweetest thing in the world Enjoy those wonderful dogs. They will be so good for Johnathan.

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  13. Yay! What adorable puppies! There are very few things as exciting as bringing new pets into your life! I'm glad they are adapting so well to you guys- Jonathan will love growing up with them!

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  14. Oh that's wonderful! What a great thing to read about:)
    Yep, yellow labs and hair....well you'll probably have to get rid of any dark coloured fleece clothing. That hair weaves it's way in somehow, and you'll never get it all out:)
    Thanks 'k' for the tip about the rabbits and dog hair. I could have used that tip earlier in the spring.
    Love those labs!

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  15. Congratulations on the new additions! :)

    When we get a dog, we'll get one from a shelter, too. :)

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  16. Haha! Wow, you guys are great.

    I'm a big believer in kids needing animals.

    I am curious about how doggy-doo duty has affected your gardening life, Thomas. The lawn landmine effect? :-)

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  17. It's so great to hear the pair is going to have a great home and didn't have to spend much time in the shelter. I saw them last week on the MSPCA website when I was looking for a dog for my neighbor who recently had to put down their own dog. They looked great but he can only handle one dog. Katie

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  18. Good for you for taking on such an awesome yet oh so rewarding responsibility. I bet the lad is in seventh heaven with two such wonderful companions. They are a beautiful pair.:)

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  19. I thought you were going to show us your new chickens but this is better. Your new family members look like such sweetie-pies. And I commend you for adopting shelter animals, there are so many of them that need good homes like yours.

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  20. Congratulations! What cute puppies, dogs are the best buddies ever. Jonathan is one lucky kid.

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  21. This is such a happy post!! Congratulations to the whole family!

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  22. IMO that is the best way to acquire a dog (or two!!)- puppyhood is not missed by me, lol. That dog hair can do wonders in the garden! So happy to see this post, dogs make the world a better place. Now do you know that that run of the mill dog food is horrible for dogs? (Sorry, it is just so important to me, not to feed dogs corn, soy, suagr, and animal parts not fit for human consumption.) :) Had to throw it in there as I learned this lesson very late in life.

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  23. Congrats to all involved! What beautiful dogs!

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  24. Now you have it all: a child, a fabulous garden and 2, not 1 but 2 labs.

    You are lucky lucky men and they are lucky lucky pups.

    And Jonathan must be one crazy happy kid.

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  25. Thanks for your comments and well-wishes everyone! I'm sure you'll be seeing their shenanigans on a regular basis.

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  26. I so love yellow labs. I had them when I was growing up and my mom bred our eldest female a couple of times so we were occasionally inundated with puppies. We don't have a dog now, but our last one was gotten at the same place you got yours. She was a mutt though. I've always gotten half lab mutts.

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  27. Of all the dogs we have had, our black lab Shadow was by far my favorite. She came to us as an adult because her previous owners did not want her anymore because she was afraid of gunshots and they wanted a hunting dog. Their loss as she turned out to be the most loyal and loving family dog anyone could ask for. I am generally a cat person, but I do love a good dog too. Congratulations on the great additions to your family.

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  28. Oh what a wonderful story! And kudos for adopting two adult dogs - they so often end up not having a chance...

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  29. Congratulations! They are beautiful. I love the idea of taking a dog from a shelter.
    I’m sure you will not have any more problems with mice, rats and other pests now that Bobby and Babe are protecting the garden.

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  30. Nice dog. I was impressed by your gardening prowess, but now that I've learned you vacuum everyday, I'm speechless; you all are gods. I'm not sure what rugs and wood floors look like without dog hair. ;-)

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