Today started out like a regular day. We got up and the boys played. Nate came home from work a little early and I ran some errands.
And then we got a dog.
That wasn’t the plan at the beginning of the week, but I do believe that things happen the way they are meant to be. On Tuesday I saw a facebook post that a friend of mine shared from a friend of hers, looking for a home for her 3 year old English bulldog. She and her husband rescued him 3 months ago and have been re-habbing him from a lung infection, a skin infection and basically a lifetime of poor care. Bulldogs require almost daily maintenance. Daily wrinkle care is necessary. And without attention, they can have skin problems and many other health issues.
They rescued him and got him back in shape, but unfortunately, they have 2 other dogs and once this dog felt a little better, they found out that the three of them couldn’t be together because they fought. She and her husband love him and were really sad, but didn’t have any other options. So she posted on facebook, looking for someone with knowledge of bulldogs, no other dogs, etc. Within minutes of her posting, I saw it and had called her. I wasn’t really looking for a dog, but Nate and I have talked about it a few times. We weren’t really ready for another puppy- training, housebreaking, etc. So a 3 year old that is neutered, potty trained, and so sweet… maybe this was the dog we were(n’t) looking for. Oddly enough, it was exactly one year to the day since Olivia died. So maybe it was really meant to be. I went to her house on Wednesday and met him. He was so sweet and mellow and she and I connected as mutually crazy bulldog ladies. Nate and I talked about it and both agreed we were ready for another dog, as long as he was ok with the kids.
Today we brought the boys to meet him and see how he would act around 2 active little boys. He chased them. He was very interested in Augustus jumping off the steps. He seemed to enjoy them (and more importantly didn’t try to bite them). And so we hung out for a little while. The couple said their (very sad) goodbyes. And we all loaded up the van and headed home, a family of 5.
Meet Axel.
He’s adjusting to us tonight. He has been curiously looking around our house and yard. He’s eaten, pooped, barked at our neighbor, and I took him for a short walk. He’s unsure of what’s going on and a little stressed, but that’s to be expected. The boys have been very attentive and sweet. I know he will need a few days to adjust. I am eager to see his personality emerge as he adjusts to his new life.