Happy Belated Birthday Fergus!

Kevin & I consider ourselves to be good parents to Fergus. We were told from his former owners that his birthday was in October/November. But, when Kevin called the SPCA he was told not only that Fergus was behind on his shots, but also that he celebrated his 4th Birthday!
I'm not really sure how to celebrate a dog's birthday, but I think we will cook him up a good steak one of these nights, and maybe buy him a couple new toys to destroy. I think he'll like that.

Happy Birthday to our favorite dog in the world!

Fergus Has a Girlfriend

Last night I took Fergus over to play with Squeaky, my brother and SIL's 3 yr old golden retrievor. She is a beautiful dog, and Fergus is in love with her.
Fergus raced into their house, and we quickly threw the dogs in the back yard. Fergus followed Squeaky all over, then proceeded to pee on every single arborvitae tree in the backyard. Fergus is interesting to watch in a new space. He is not afraid, and loves to explore on his own. The two dogs seem to get along well, and even shared a delicious hotdog together.

Thankful for a Cool Day in June

I walked up the backdoor steps, stuck my key in the door as I simultaneously peered through the window pane at Fergus, wagging his tail, just waiting to wrap his front paws around my legs. I swung open the door and was greeted by a terrible, rotten, disgusting putrid smell. I quickly pulled away from Fergus's warm embrace and began seeking out the cause of the ferocious smell. Kitchen - clean, Dining room - clean, Family Room - clean. Hmmm what could it be? I didn't see any of the typical white throw up. I walked slower through the rooms, and there it was at the bottom of the stairs...brown, runny, almost camoflaged with the floor. Sure enough, Fergus had some bowel troubles this afternoon and it stunk!
I pulled on my handy yellow dishwashing gloves, got my paper towels, and brought the trashcan close to the scene of the crime. Within no time I cleaned up the accident, and steamed the floors...no trace of it is left. Thankfully I could open all the doors and windows and get a good breeze to take the odor right out the windows. Hopefully no more accidents for our little guy.

A Dog's Hug

The end of the school year is always a difficult time for teachers. For me, it has been an extremely long school year, and I am really looking forward to saying goodbye to my students, and move along with my career.
Fergus has been such a gift in my life since he moved in with us on March 21. I look forward to our long walks in the afternoon, and love the way he eagerly greets me at the door. Fergus seems to understand when I've had a bad day, and when I need a hug. He knows he is not allowed on the couch, but the other day he just climbed right up, put his paws on my shoulders and gave me a great big hug. How can you resist the love this dog has to offer?

Vet Bills

Fergus is an extremely costly dog. We have been to the vet on three different occasions and have paid over $100 for each visit. I did not anticipate spending that kind of money on a dog.
Also - baths are the best $33 expense. I am afraid to put him in my bath tub and wash him down.

Rainy Days

I thought the end of March was an ideal time to adopt a dog. It is not freezing out anymore, we are spoiled with days that reach 70 degrees, and there is usually no snow storms. Since we brought Fergus into our lives (on a picturesque Saturday in March)it has rained on average twice a week. The first time it rained I took Fergus on a 15 minute run around the neighborhood. Each time after I have either not taken him for a walk or allowed myself to get soaking wet while we went on our usual 30 minute journey. The most difficult part about a rainy day is remembering to have a towel ready to dry off the dog when you reach home. Yesterday I forgot. When we entered the house Fergus wanted to head straight for the hardwood floors. I stopped him by standing in the doorway, but he was persistent...I forced him to lay down on the kitchen floor with a couple treats to prevent the hardwood floors from becoming saturated. Today I will have to remember a towel.
One of my favorite things to do on a rainy day is to curl up under a warm blanket, which is exactly what I did after my cold, wet walk with Fergus. No sooner had I tucked the blanket in all around me that Fergus had his head in my lap wanting attention, needing attention. He must have wanted to curl up under the blanket too! Although I did not let him under the blanket I did give in and pet him until he thumped onto the floor into a peaceful sleep.

Easter with Fergus

We went back and forth about bringing Fergus with us to celebrate Easter, mostly because we weren't sure how my mom would feel about Fergus spending a couple hours in her house. So, I worked my mom up to meeting Fergus. Thursday night we watched Marley & Me. I have seen the movie before, and knew, even if you aren't a "dog person" it was nearly impossible not to fall in love with Marley. It worked! The movie moved her! Friday my mom and dad made the journey down to NJ to meet Fergus. Since it was a warm night we were outside when my parents pulled up. Fergus ran towards my mom, but did not jump on her. Then, Fergus posed for a couple family pictures. My mom couldn't believe how well behaved he was, and even got in a couple pictures herself. I knew she was falling in love! By the end of the night my mom claimed "Fergus is family" So I knew we could bring him to Easter.
Fergus met his entire family on Easter...grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins! He started at my parents house, then went to Kevin's aunt's house.
Fergus had a great time at both houses. At the Listers he even had the opportunity to meet his great grandmother, Mom-mom, the matriarch of the family. Mom-mom instantly won Fergus's heart by sneaking him several pieces of peperoni off the table!
Fergus was well behaved on the car ride home, but was tired. When he came in the house he went straight to bed. He could hardly get up for his visit outside before we went to bed. When we woke on Monday morning he was sluggish to go outside. No lie, Fergus slept all day Monday. It was not until Tuesday afternoon he was back to his loving energetic self. So I guess it is true, dogs sleep at least 20 hours a day!

The Fergus Story

My mother in-law has great instincts. She seems to always know the right thing to say, and never oversteps her boundaries. She has known for a while that we were looking to get a dog, and this is what she sends.

"I had to email this to you since you are thinking about getting a dog. A girl I work with is cousins with the owner and she would be happy to put you in touch with the owner of Jake, the black lab who needs a home. He’s three years old and looks like a big boy. He’s even a Jersey Boy. I think I’m in love with him. Let me know if you would like to meet him!

Needless to say, we looked at the pictures, met the dog, and within 6 days of receiving the email Fergus became ours!