more dogs

My mother's beloved dog died this past summer. While I was visiting over the holiday, we stopped by the local animal control shelter and found two small dogs, littermates, about three years old, who had been abandoned. They were the same breed as her last dog. She immediately decided she wanted one of them, but had a hard time deciding which one. The shelter basically gave her both dogs for the price of one -- they had been there a week and I assume that dogs don't stay there much longer. It would have been hard to break them up after three years.

So now my mom now has two dogs. I am afraid I am susceptible to the theory that the feeling from one pet is exponentially increased with an additional pet -- how else did we end up with 3 cats and a dog? But I never imagined that my mother would have two dogs. There is a plus. They are gentle, teachable, and quite calm -- I never heard them bark. And as mates, they sleep together, keep each other company, complement the other in size and playfulness. They are crate-trained, also a plus.

When I got back to Indy, I was happy to see Franklin the dog, in all his jauntiness. He has a twisted rope toy that he loves to carry around after I toss it. Being a terrier, he is not always teachable, but he has figured out his place in the house. I threw the rope toy, and he grabbed it and ran around the room, holding it up by his teeth, his long snout aimed up into the air.