Tag is gone

They came and got Tag tonight. Ryli was ready for it; every day she asked if he was going to leave us today. Landry lost it for about two minutes, until I reminded him that we would get a puppy when we got moved. Tag didn't even stay with us for a full week, and as much as I was annoyed that I had to clean up after him a lot, I hated to see him go. He was too young to be house broken. No matter how long we had him outside running and playing, or just walking around, he would not potty outside. Instead, he'd wait till we'd gotten inside, and then whimper once or twice before peeing on the linoleum. He'd only poop at night, while everyone slept.

Landry handled his presence well, like I knew that he would. He is petrified of small dogs, but he is crazy about big dogs, even while they're puppies. Ryli was the enforcer. If Tag ran off, she would pick him up and bring him home, scolding him and loving on him all the while. 

I think that as soon as we find a new place and get settled in, a puppy will definitely be in order. They may still be rather young, but they knew what they needed to do to take care of him. They only needed to be told once about dogs not being able to have chocolate (Easter Bunny came on Tag's first full day here). Landry was Tag's personal meal planner, filling his dog bowl whenever it needed to be filled and making sure he always had water. Ryli was the disciplinarian, trying to get him to behave and alerting me to any puddles or piles.

So, someday soon, I hope, we will make our way to the shelter and rescue a pup of our own. There will probably be a bit of fighting over a name, but I think that will be minimal. And when we move, we will have at the very least a small yard, so I can turn them all out together. Heck, we may adopt a puppy and a kitten, since the kids both want one of each. Get them young and they'll at the very least be used to each other.

The kids have already started to save money towards their pet fund. Ryli has gone without asking for a Littlest Pet Shop since she met Tag last Saturday evening. That, in itself, is nothing short of miraculous!

I guess a lot of it stems from the fact that as long as I lived with my parents, we always had at least one dog. I was raised with German Shepherds, and we had a German Schnauzer while I was little, and then Max and Baby the Cocker Spaniels from elementary school on. I think we'll go with a larger breed. We'll do obedience school and the whole nine yards.