Baby Love

I won't lie.  When I went out to rebuild the Collie Army back to its full ranks of three, I had friends whose opinions I value tell me not to do it.  And when I was flat out turned down by one rescue group, ignored by a few more and too late on some applications (purebred collies do not stay long in local shelters), and I was despondent, they would come back and tell me it was a sign that now was not the right time.  The reasons were all true.  Our plates were full.  A lot going on.  There's a baby in the house (which was some of the reason I was turned down more than once).  But the baby in the house not only did not deter me, it motivated me.  Fiercely.

I am so easy to read - there's not much of a secret to why I'm a multiple dog owner.  I hated being an only child.  Passionately.  It taught me some things about independence, but for the most part it was a lonely way to grow up.  It was a worse way to be when my mother took her final decline into Alzheimer's.  These dogs are not only my pets, they're the extended family I never had.  And I never want a pet of mine, in turn, to be lonely only pets - the Army are a tight knit group.  They love one another.  I would never have wanted to deprive them of that companionship.

Baby loves his mom!
And I never want my grandson to be lacking for companionship either.  He has his mom, of course - and a great mom she is!  And his dad and his family, who love him a lot.  And us - the maternal grands, of course.  But his primary company are adults.  What happens when he wants to play?  (Well, perhaps a bad example - I'm an overgrown child...)   And how is he supposed to learn the act of sharing if there's no one he needs to share with (trust me on this one:  I suck at sharing because I never had to), and how will he know about caring for another creature and the responsibility that entails?

I believe, and I admittedly have no case studies to back me up here, that dogs teach us as we grow to be better humans.  I may not have empirical data to feed you on that front, but I have my heart.  And it tells me that's true.

My oldest daughter with Daphne, circa 1986
I raised my two daughters with pets in the home always.  Were they perfect people?  Well, anyone who knows us knows they weren't.  But I look at my daughter today with her son.  I watched her pack up boxes to send to hurricane victims, and I watch her bag up food for food drives, and gather up clothes and donations for women's shelters and think, "Yeah, I'm so proud."  Well, I'll just say it:  I think growing up with pets helped build that foundation of being able to empathize and want to care for others who need help caring for themselves for whatever reason.

The time seemed right.  Some time had passed to allow us to grieve for Ripley.  The baby was no longer an infant.  His mom was now home full time with him, so she had him to concentrate on.  We'd have the dogs in our care.  And maybe more than anything else:   I'm a dog person, so I wanted another dog in our family.

So I became committed to the search to find a dog to bring the gang back up to three.  And I wanted a collie.  I wasn't dissuaded from the breed because of what happened to Ripley.  I think in a way it pushed me to prove to myself what happened to her was a fluke, a horrible rare case in an already rare disease.  But more than that, I knew they were good with children.

Now it's fair to say, "but you already were raising the baby with two dogs."  And, you know, I don't know that I have a great comeback for that.  Other than the fact that they weren't his companions - and that's the vision I had in my head.  That relationship I read about in Lassie Come Home, only without the sad separation part.

Mama Rooney
Rooney had taken on a maternal role with him.  She'd lick him like a newly whelped puppy if you weren't careful.  But she didn't and doesn't want to play.  Not with the baby, because you can tell she thinks he'll break.  Geddy was the jealous older brother.  If the baby crawled off his play mat, Geddy would plop himself down on it, stretching out to cover as much as he could of it. and just look at us.  Early on, he'd come into my office with an infant's toy or teether in his mouth and just sit down with it, waiting for a reaction.  I could practically hear him thinking, "Take that small, smelly human back where you got it, or the toy gets it."  When I wouldn't react appropriately, he'd drop the toy and walk away.  But a couple of times he made good on the threat, and the toy bought the farm.  But, amazingly, those were rare instances.  However, to this day, if the baby crawls toward him, he'll move as if he's been struck with a cattle prod, exhaling with an offended huff when he lays back down somewhere further away.  But, a few minutes later he'll go over and give the baby a loving lick.  Geddy always wanted to sleep near him when he could as well - just so long as he was out of reach, that is.  And I noticed a funny thing in all the outdoor photos - there he is in the frame, keeping watch.  Like an older brother.  I don't at all doubt he would protect that kid with his life if he needed to, but play with him?  Not sure if we'll get there or not.

Geddy keeps watch
I wanted to see my one and only grandson have a true playmate, something he could grow up with, not just around.  So the search began.  And it was a challenge, but I can't thank the Scottish-Collie Preservation Society enough for putting me in touch with with  Canny Guan Scotch Collies, who matched us with this ball of fur:

The first picture I saw of Sirius
And life has been happily ever after ever since, right?  Well...come back next week and find out.

Comments

  1. That is a beautiful story. We agree with you about dogs needed dogs, and kids needing dogs. Welcome Sirius

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