So You Want Another Dog, Huh?

One day I was just sitting around – you know, with my 3 kids, a dog, house full of laundry and hectic schedule – and thought to myself, we need another puppy. Yeah, that would be a great idea! We have time. Who needs a clean house anyway? And I love chewed up shoes and scooping poop. It will be great for the kids to learn responsibility and help feed and walk the dogs. Yeah, great idea Taylor. One of your best, I have to say.

Well that isn’t EXACTLY how this all started.

It actually started about two years ago when Bryson started begging for a big dog. He met my aunt and uncle’s dog Tilly and wanted one just like him. He wanted a puppy to sleep in his bed and play fetch, and he promised he would help us take care of him. Jamey, of course, was all on board, but it took a while to convince me. I wanted to wait as long as possible. First of all, dog hair makes me cringe and I didn’t want it all over my house. Plus, I wasn’t sure about the baby with a bigger dog around, and I if I’m being completely honest, I just didn’t want another dog. Our sweet, quiet, non-shedding yorkie was enough for me!

But Jamey has this way of asking for things over and over and over (and over) and I finally I just cave and tell him to go buy it. It is how he’s gotten most of his boy toys, like a big tv, a grill, his umpteenth pair of tennis shoes – I mean the list could go on forever. But I feel like two years was a pretty good length of time for me before I gave in, and once I told him I would think about it, he spent hours searching for the perfect puppy for us. He would send me pictures, I would ignore them. It was a great plan and I got about six more months out of the stall!

And then it happened. One of the pictures pulled at my heart a little more than the others. His name was Prince and he was a hound dog mix, and he had the sweetest face ever. So I caved. (I am such a sucker.) Bryson and Jamey went to the shelter, and after deciding he was the perfect fit for us, they came home with the cutest little puppy!

That was the day our “simple” little life got a little more chaotic. Prince came in our home and instantly stole our hearts. He soon got a new name, Buster, so he could fit in with the rest of the “B” kids. He and our little dog, Bentley, became instant friends and he was the most easy-going dog I have ever seen. Even though he wasn’t a big dog, Buster was everything Bryson had ever wanted. He plays fetch, he sleeps in his bed, he follows Bryson wherever he goes, and he waits by the door for him to get home from school. It is a bond I have loved to watch grow.

So now this sweet little guy isn’t so little anymore, and can destroy a backyard in a matter of minutes. He is a lover of digging, chewing, howling, and stuffed animals. He can reach the counter so we learned not to leave any food out. He is currently shedding his winter coat for summer, so I had to buy a new vacuum to get the dog hair under control. He spends most of his time inside on the top cushion of my favorite chair (now covered in a blanket.) and Jamey and Bryson are down about three shoes each. One day they’ll learn not to leave them out. And rainy days? Don’t get me started. The mud, the wet paws, the wet dog smell, oh my gosh!!!! I can’t even.

But as crazy as Buster has made my life, he has truly been one of the best ideas Jamey and Bryson have had. I hate sweeping, mopping and vacuuming, but I can’t remember what it was like around here without his energy, and he gives the best kisses, which makes it all worth it. He lets Brynlee annoy him to no end. He lets her poke his eyes, pull his ears and drag him all around the house. He lets Brystol read stories to him, jumps on the trampoline with Bryson, and he has the cutest howling bark I have ever heard (I’m sure our neighbors would disagree.) 

I think it’s safe to say, Buster has completed our family. There will be no more additions of any kind. I don’t think I can be in charge of feeding or cleaning up after anyone else!! It is only noon and I have already swept twice today. They’re all lucky they’re cute!