A Boy and his Dog

As of Sunday evening we now have a dog. She is a 9 year old Cairn Terrier named Muffin. She has been nothing but a good girl since we got her.

The back story for this event.

My wife and I have been looking for a dog ever since we moved out to Illinois. I am a fan of Huskies/Malamutes, German Shepherds, Beagles and Schnauzers. My wife is a huge Labrador Retriever, Dachshund, Jack Russells and Pug lover. We couldn't settle on what kind of dog we wanted and had some potentials not come thru.

We found out about Muffin thru some friends whose Uncle was going to be moving into a retirement community and couldn't keep her. The offer was there we just weren't sure.

Saturday afternoon I had a revelation. I had a dog growing up named Buttons and he was a mix of Lhasa Apso and terrier. We never knew exactly what kind of terrier until then. When our friend said Cairn Terrier I wasn't certain what the breed looked like so I googled it and I found Buttons!

The numbers game: We got Buttons in 1988 and had to get rid of him in 1999 when my folks divorced so he was 11 years old. I have not had a dog since then... 9 years. Muffin was born about the same time as we gave Buttons away and she looks just like him (especially in the face).

The revelation was this: you have a chance to finish with Muffin what you didn't with Buttons. The process feels like a continuation... and my wife and I will love Muffin for the rest of her life (be it a year from now or 6 years).