2 Years!
Today is a big and special day in our house. 7/18 marks the 2 year anniversary of our adoption of Buster & Lady!
I can't believe we've had them with us for 2 years already. They are more than comfortable here with us, and are having a blast. They love Judith and often use her as a salt lick, which is really ironic because the kid's tasting super salty right now with the heat (people with CF lose salt very quickly, especially through sweat). Both dogs are patient with her exploration of them, especially Lady because Judith is favoring her right now during her CPT time - she likes to reach out and touch her jowls and neck, and feel her soft fur. Buster's not too fond of Judith when she gets super loud because she disturbs his beauty, or "boo"ty sleep (see what I did there?) as I like to call it! Lady still follows me to the nursery whenever I change Judith's diaper (Buster follows most of the time too, but if he's sleeping under his blankets he won't follow) to make sure that everything is fine. Lunchtime is their new favorite time of day, because they know they'll get to clean up and finish whatever solid is left in Judith's bowl.
Most of you don't know their story, so I would like to share it with you!
A little more than 2 years ago, John & I decided that we wanted to get a dog. We were in the middle of TTC, and still having a rough time with it. The economy was stinking, and I couldn't find temp work to fill in the gaps - things were pretty darn lonely here, so we decided since having a baby more than likely wasn't in the very near future, we would get a dog. The timing was perfect because I was home and would be able to train a puppy if necessary.
We had to decide on what type of dog to get. John grew up with boxers, I grew up with terriers (an airedale when I was a baby, and a westie through my school and college years). We didn't want anything too big because we didn't have the space, so a boxer was eliminated from the list. We thought about a westie, but I didn't think it was fair to bring a westie to a home where there wasn't ample yard space to run around in. We talked, and decided that we wanted either a Boston or a Frenchie. We had fallen in love with a church member's Bostons, so we settled on a Boston.
We thought about a puppy, but that really wasn't for us at the time. Rescue suited us much better. I began looking into rescues, and I stumbled across the Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue. We saw some of their fosters on Petfinder, and knew we had to fill out the adoption application. We had a phone interview, and a couple days later we got another phone call: they wanted to know if we would be willing to take 2 dogs. I remember John hesitated, and after a bit of discussion we said yes.
During this time, Buster & Lady were surrendered to a shelter. They were and are incredibly bonded, and the shelter knew they had to be placed together. If my memory serves me correctly, the shelter knew that this may not be possible, so they contacted the rescue to see if they could help. Enter Buster & Lady's wonderful foster family - they got them into the rescue through agreeing to foster them!
We were able to talk to Buster & Lady's foster mommy over the phone, and she told us all about them. We knew that Buster has a sensitive personality, and he was very sad in the shelter. We also learned that Lady is very dominant and protective of Buster (oh, and we also found out that she's ball crazy). We began making arrangements to pick the 2 of them up once everyone got word that our home inspection went well. The date was set, and we began preparing for our new additions!
July 19 rolled around, and John & I waited anxiously in a parking lot in New Jersey. Before we knew it, Buster, Lady, their foster mommy, and 1 foster sister were rolling into the lot! Buster wasn't seen right away, but Lady was - she was in the driver's seat, on her foster mommy's lap! Buster was very unsure about what was happening, and seemed very sad overall. Lady definitely didn't care - she greeted us, and jumped into the back of the car pretty quickly, ready to head off to her next adventure. We spent some time together, going over instructions for their feedings and learning how to care for Lady's eye. John & I signed the official adoption papers, and were able to leave with our new furbabies! We packed them into the car and headed home.
Lady was comfortable with us after about 36 hours - the proof was waking up the second day they were here and finding her in the bed (surprise!). Buster took a bit longer to settle in, but he was up on the bed too the night after Lady decided to take the plunge. Overall, though, it took them about 3 months to really feel comfortable and begin to realize they wouldn't be moved suddenly again. The first couple of times they had to stay with my parents overnight for whatever reason were tricky, and once Buster realized he was coming home, he was fine (we're back to square one with that though after they had to spend a week with my parents while I was hospitalized from the preeclampsia and Judith's birth).
Buster & Lady, happy 2 years in your forever home! We can't wait for many, many more great years to come!
Rebecca and John Brewster
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