Dogs and Cats

I should probably take a lesson from the numerous plants I've killed over the years...I'm not good with living things.  Unfortunately, explaining the loss of a pet is much more difficult than a plant to a child.

Tiberius started to fit into the family...befriending Irelynn, and claiming his spot in our bed at night.  He had issues with his food, but other than that, he was a happy, affectionate dog.  When we drove across the state for Bruce's family reunion, we brought him with us to leave at my parents' house while we went to the reunion.  Unfortunately, Tiberius had other plans.  Soon after we left, the next time the door opened he shot out and ran off.  After weeks of searching, posting "missing" ads and posters, and pleas on Facebook to watch for him...we got a call from our vet, letting us know that he had been found.  He had been hit by a car, and had not survived.  To make matters worse, this followed in the wake of the death of our cat, Samson, who had a long battle with cancer.  I had to explain to a five-year-old not once, but twice, why she would not be seeing her pet again.  I don't know who's heart broke more...her's or mine.

On the last search for Tiberius, I had come home with a new family member:  Maggie.  Maggie was a barn kitten who latched on to me while I was out there (or perhaps it was me who latched onto her...I'm not sure.)  Jay, though he thought she was cute, was disappointed that I had come home with a kitten, and not a dog. 

We did find a new dog...an 8-month-old Lab/Boxer mix.  After a long debate over names, most of them Harry Potter-esque in nature, we finally decided on something entirely different:  Kenobi. 

Kenobi has settled right in, and the kids are in love.  Hopefully we will have better luck with our newest members of the family.  I think I'll avoid plants for awhile and just focus on the animals.