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I'm Back After a Long While


Tobby's Mom

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It's been about a year since I've posted and a lot has happened since then.

Zoey was my first Cairn. My ex and I got her right after we moved in together in October of 2008. She was so adorable but mean as a snake (I always joked that she was more my ex's dog than mine since she was pretty much the female canine version of him). Of course I didn't go very long before I had to get another Cairn. I was lucky enough to adopt my 2nd Cairn Toto (or Tobby, as I now call him) in April 2009 through an ad I found on Craigslist. I was very skeptical at first of getting a dog off of Craiglist but his former owners fell on hard times and just couldn't keep him. When I went to pick him up from them I could tell that they really did love him and didn't want to rehome him because the whole family was on the verge of tears the whole time.

To make a long story short, the ex and I broke up and my living situation changed and I was forced to move back in with my parents with both of my dogs. My mom is very old school and for some reason doesn't think you should have dogs in the house. After much debate and crying on my part she arranged for me to give them both up to a rescue downstate. On the way to the handoff with both of my parents I had a meltdown. I felt as if I was giving up 2 kids (dramatic I know, but most people who really really love their pets understand). Thankfully, at the last second my dad convinced my mom to let me keep one of them because of how tore up I was over not only my breakup but having to get rid of both of my dogs. I was faced with probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make and decide which dog to keep and which one to surrender to the rescue. My parents and I made the mutual decision to keep Tobby based on the fact that he was older, had adjusted to the move better, already completely housebroken and obedient, and had already formed a bond with my dad. I gave Zoey to the rescue and cried myself to sleep over it for 3 nights straight.

The following Saturday I got a voicemail from a lady who had adopted Zoey. There was some sort of fair or festival in her home town and the rescue had brought a few dogs to try to find homes for. Somehow, Zoey had pulled loose from the person who was holding her leash and ran and jumped in the woman who ended up adopting her's lap. The lady said she knew she had to adopt Zoey when she looked down and saw the name on her ID tag that was still on her collar because 3 months prior her Schnauzer had passed away, whose name also happened to be Zoey. She told me the story and said that she wanted to call me to make sure that Zoey wasn't just lost or that someone had stolen her because of how good of shape she was in. Talking to Zoey's new owner eased my mind so much. Instead of having to wonder what type of environment Zoey is in and if she's being loved in the way she should be I know that she's now living on a 100 acre farm in Western Kentucky with a Schnauzer for a sibling.

Keeping Tobby was something that I don't regret. My dad was disabled and on dialysis 3 times a week for kidney failure so, naturally, my dad was home alone a lot before Tobby came into the picture. Since I was always busy with school the two were able to keep each other company. This July my dad passed away and I'm so glad that he formed as much as an attachment to Tobby as he did and that my dog was around to amuse him or just lay with him when he was having a particularly rough day because of the dialysis.

I'm going to be graduating this coming May and my mom is giving me the house we live in now and moving closer to her family. I'm seriously thinking about getting another Cairn to keep Tobby company (and me company as well) as soon as I'm living on my own. I never imagined that such little dogs could mean so much to me as they do.

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Tobby's Mom What a sad but wonderful story. I'm so sorry about the loss of your Dad and of Zoey. Thank goodness there are dog lovers in this world who willingly adopt rescue dogs. Good luck with the new house and your graduation. Seems you have a lot on your plate for someone so young.

Husband and dog missing ...25 cents reward for dog

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OK. I did not respond to you right away because there was so much going on that I need time to process. You sound so much like my daughter - I am going to take a chance and sound like your mother. God bless your parents - and I am so happy that dad let you keep a dog. I am happy that you had somewhere to go after your bad relationship and that you chose to put yourself first and get an education. Great steps!

Now that mom has given you a house you have a lot responsibilities. Take your time. Ask yourself some hard questions and give yourself some honest answers. Don't take on anymore than you can handle. Baby steps. Treat yourself like you are a precious jewel, because you are. Polish yourself. Only share yourself with others that treat you with respect and can help you continue to grow. Any cairn would be lucky to have your love, just make sure your not movin' to fast. Best of luck.

Elsie, Max, Meeko & Lori

 

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Yeah, I'm definitely going to take my time and make sure that taking on another dog is something that I'll have time to do and money to afford. If a new dog comes into the picture it'll probably be about a year or so from now (enough time for me to get settled in on my own, get a job, get started in graduate school, save some money for unexpected expenses, etc), but for now I'm putting back some money each month for a puppy fund for when the right one comes along. I'm proud that I've matured a lot over the past couple of years and that I'm actually taking time to plan this stuff out.

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Thank you for sharing your story. Sometimes life throws us curves and I'm sorry you had to experience that at such a young age. It was heartening to read that fate stepped in and you can rest easy, knowing that Zoey has a good home. You have a lot of changes coming up... Looking after the house, completing your education and finding a job, etc. It's probably a good idea to postpone getting a second dog for a while; at least until you get through some of these changes. Good luck!

FEAR THE CAIRN!

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