As well as the real estate catastrophe of 2009, we also suffered a difficult transition period with our dogs. Our eldest, Avy, always had domineering tendencies, but she became increasingly unhinged as the time at my parents' house increased.
They have a small Corgi who she lashed out at a few times, and then the last weekend we were there, she attacked our Zippo (the small dogs competing for our attention set her off, and she became violent).
We thought he was OK for a few days, but he became more and more lethargic and finally stopped getting up--we set an appointment for the vet, and long, awful story short, he had extensive surgery for infected bite punctures (which were hidden underneath his hair), and we are lucky he survived. The vet--after seeing the extent of the damage--suggested that we should not keep them together, and that Avy couldn't really be trusted, especially if we have children around someday. This was during the first week living in our house, and while it was an absolutely traumatic experience, I can't stress enough the amazing support and care he received at the New Haven Veterinary Clinic under the guidance of Dr. Michelle Schulte.
With her OK, we decided to transition Avy into an outside dog, with the intention of getting her a companion (a larger, docile companion who could keep her temper in check). Our house renovations for that weekend were put off, and under the last warm sun of the fall, we transformed half of the barn into dog paradise. She was fine. Zippo was going to be fine. (And Rio is always fine, no matter what.)
Three weeks later, I drove to St. Louis to pick up a new addition to our family, Mason. He was a rescue Lab mix, who had lived his short life on a short chain in southern Missouri when a neighbor heard that his owners were going to shoot him because they didn't want him anymore. Now, he's ours.
More later. For now, I'm just rambling.
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