Four...Plus One

Ben, Cooper, June, Willa, Topaz, and I moved into our new rental house on Friday, April 26, 2013.  It was quite a busy time for us.  We had a lot of packing, lifting, unpacking, and cleaning to do.  Not to mention we were still working our full time jobs and taking care of our three dogs and one foster.  The Bruner household was a very full one indeed!



At our new house, we didn't have a fence.  It was a bit stressful for us at first because we had to leash walk all four dogs for every potty break.  (We built a small fenced in area for potty breaks our second week here, and boy did that help out quite a bit!)  Ben and I were getting our routine down while we didn't have our fence.  We would take out two dogs at a time.  One was usually Cooper since he didn't have to be walked on a leash.  Cooper is very good at being recalled on command.  I have trust in him that he will not leave my side.  He and I have such a strong bond! He comes when called and stays in the yard.  He really is a good boy!

On our fourth day here, I was walking Cooper and June outside in the rain.  It wasn't a fun task, but it had to be done.  June was on the leash and Cooper was out off lead with us.  The three of us were walking around the back yard when I saw it.  A stray dog barreling towards our yard at full speed.  I immediately went to red alert!  I also hoped that I could get Cooper's attention before he saw it.  I was too late!  He crouched down on all fours like a tiger ready to pounce.  Luckily, I had June on lead and picked her up to take her back to the house.  She was so excited and would have slipped her collar if I kept her on the ground.  (I am going to get her a martingale collar for her to prevent future mishaps!)

I started heading back to the house with June while I was calling for Cooper simultaneously.  Usually he comes whether there is a distraction or not.  Not this time!  All of a sudden, Cooper pounced from his position and chased the stray out of the yard.  I called to him the whole time, worrying he may not come back.  Finally, he felt that he had gotten the interloper far enough away from his home.  He turned slowly and pranced back to me.  You could tell he was so proud of himself!  All I could think of was having to chase down that poor dog so it wouldn't get hit in the road since Cooper scared it half to death.

Unbelievably, the dog turned around and followed us up to the house.  I got Cooper and June inside and I grabbed a towel.  I opened the door to my back yard and had a cute little beagle staring up at me from my back step.  Her face was simple.  It said, "Can I come in, too?"

Well....what was just one more dog?  I let her in and took her out to the garage out of the rain.  I set up a crate for her and gave her some food and water. Until I knew she was healthy, I wanted to keep her separate from my kids.

Uh oh. Ben. I was already pushing my luck with four dogs. Five??? I called him while he was at work. "Honey, there is a beagle in the garage. We need to try and find her owners." Okay was all he said. Oh that sweet, patient man!

Our home gained a fifth dog...temporarily. And so began our next adventure.

As always, please consider adopting your next best friend from your local shelter or rescue. You most certainly won't regret it!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Laura