Edgar the Peaceful

About six months before we moved from Massachusetts, we decided that when we got to Walla Walla we'd get a dog. I started obsessively (shocking, right?) scouring the interwebs for dog rescues and other ways to get my mitts on a pooch that was a puppy no longer, was socialized, housetrained and didn't have a history of abuse. I talked to a number of breeders who advertised that they sometimes have older labs available, in addition to the local humane society and animal rescue organization.

Because I started my search months before we moved, it was all very premature, and felt a little silly. Once I was contacted by my friend about Dailey, I stopped looking and didn't keep track of who I'd contacted or what they'd said.

Fast forward, and the last few months of doglessness have carried with them the good and the bad. Floors that are not being constantly swept of dog hair: good. Solo nights and weekends sans canine companionship: bad. We first thought our next dog would be a puppy and had slated that fun to begin next fall. After the rush of the holidays, I started contacting local breeders so that I could get on their list if necessary and go through the application process, meet the parents, etc. I have had a lot of misgivings about going the puppy route at this juncture, the biggest being the babe's age. I think the boys like the idea of having a puppy a lot more than they'd love the realities of nipping teeth, chewed on toys and pee everywhere.

I recently signed up for my second full marathon (Santa Barbara in November, yikes!), so in thinking about getting a dog, I knew that having a running partner would be on my list of priorities, and may even motivate me to finally run in the wee hours of the morning. (Yes, I'm ridiculously afraid of the dark.) However, I was still planning for another 9 months of a pet-free home.

At the beginning of January, I spoke with a breeder in town (really, they're trainers who breed occasionally) to see if they had any older dogs available, or could foresee having any available soon. I got a tingling in my gut when I realized I'd spoken to her when we still lived in Massachusetts and that one of the three she had available was the same she'd thought would be a great fit for us then, but had contacted me before we knew about Dailey to say that her husband was just not ready to let him go yet.

We made arrangements for me to meet the three dogs they were willing to re-home on Monday and then I brought J and the boys out to meet the dogs and that serendipitous pooch feels like a perfect fit. He's incredibly well trained, mellow and just a sweet boy. We already had a weekend at Grantastic's house planned for next weekend, so we'll be officially bringing him home on Sunday. From my first meeting with him, I knew he'd be ours. I tried to be reserved until the boys had met him, but really I'd already placed him in our home in my mind. His name (that he's called, not his registered name) is Edgar and, like all of my boys, it's the name of a king. So, without further ado, meet Edgar the Peaceful.

H is over the moon!

Bossy Beans trying to point out a piece of treat left on the ground