Two dogs are just fine

WE ARE BACK to just two dogs at the Hart House in Calftown. About a month ago, our Aussie-mix dog, Genie, went to a new home on a big farm, and she's adapted very well.

Genie when we first got her.

We got Genie last fall as a rescue dog out of Hannibal. Our friend Michael Bayles paid for the adoption fees and we loved her from the start. She's a great dog, friendly and playful, and oh how she loves to run.

During the day she had to stay in a kennel because she ate my stuff when she was bored - computer mice, clothes, remote controls, etc. Sheryl and I spend long hours at the store during the week, and since she really never adapted to coming to the store, she stayed home. Tucker stayed home with her too and missed hanging out in the guitar lesson room.

Sheryl talked to a friend who actually wanted Genie before we got her. The friend planted the seed in Sheryl's mind about Genie being happier on HER farm. As spring arrived and Genie became more insistent about staying outside, we decided to let them try Genie. They live on a 60-acre farm and have three other dogs. Now Genie is outside most of the time and has the run of the place - in other words, she's in dog heaven.

Genie, hanging with her farm family.

Tucker and Angus liked to play with Genie and join in her rambunctious attitude. But it's better for them, too. They can both come to the store now and the family unit seems more cohesive.

Sheryl mentioned the other day that we were happy with just two dogs. Then we were at a party Sunday and we met Stella, an Aussie-Lab mix puppy, and for just a minute I had a pang of regret. Fortunately, it lasted just a second.

Throw Fast Eddie into the mix, and we are a three-pet family. For good.