My son’s family is fostering a puppy. His name is Rooger. I’m guessing they will keep him. He’s pretty smart and very cute. We got to meet him last night for the first time. I was taken aback how much he reminded me of my Dandy.
Her name was Dandy – and she was a dandy dog!
We adopted Dandy from the local humane society shortly after I started working there. I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her. She was a beautiful puppy and she grew into a beautiful dog. The kennel staff deemed her a shepherd/lab mix but we discovered later that she was actually a Rhodesian Ridgeback – African lion hunter!
Dandy was really great with my kids – Joe was almost 6 when we got her and Jessica was just turning 3. She was a little afraid of toddlers though because my nephew, Kyle, bit her several times when he was little. Dandy steered clear of little ones after that.
Dandy was my first (and last so far) dog as an adult. I had dogs growing up: Spot and Rod both tragically hung themselves during a thunderstorm and Joe, my Dalmatian, (yes, I eventually had a son with the same name) was shot by a neighbor. My last dog as a kid, Huggy Bear, didn’t recognize me when I came home from college, so my parents found another home for him.
One thing that my kids probably don’t realize yet is how Rooger will attach himself to their hearts.
Dandy was a healthy dog who lived to the ripe old age of 16. She stayed by me through two divorces, one move, and three different cats. During Jessica’s senior year of high school Dandy started having seizures. By then she was officially an ‘old lady’ dog. The thought of having to put her down was more than I could bear. Nick, who was my fiancé at the time, assured me that I would know when the time had come to do so. And sure enough, Dandy had a seizure that she never came out of. The time had come to say goodbye to my best friend. And I don’t know if this is typical but I would like to think that the tears that flowed from her eyes as she was taking her last breaths were for me. Lord knows I cried many for her. I miss you, Dandy!
Janicethoughts 
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