Towards the end of October, my son Justin called and said, “Dad, I
want Elvis back.” This summer, Justin decided to go to his summer
transition semester without Elvis. He made the same decision about the
fall semester. Clearly, however, he began missing Elvis. Many of the
students at Justin’s college go home on the weekends, and Elvis is a
great compa-nion. Plus, as a service dog, he can do some handy stuff for
someone in a power wheelchair. Picking things up and delivering them is
Elvis’ specialty.
So, of course, I said, “yes, when were you thinking?” Justin
replied, “Now, or asap.” Julia, Elvis and I were in Utah, so “now”
wasn’t practical. However, I delivered Elvis back to his boy right after I
returned from my trip out West. Elvis has been with Justin ever since.
Our concerns about Elvis fitting in at college and having Justin’s
caregivers do the daily doggie chores have so far been misplaced. That
isn’t to say there won’t be challenges. Justin managed to break his
leg during the fall semester (fell out of his power wheelchair), and had
one other trip in the middle of the night by ambulance. Still, within
the limitations of a young adult with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy,
Justin seems to be managing things. He and Elvis will return home for a
month at semester break. My daughter Allie will take over his
caregiving responsibilities to earn a few extra bucks for a car that she
is saving up for.
With Julia at work, the kids at college,and no dog at home, the empty
nest has been too quiet, even for an introvert and silence-lover like
myself. I’ve been on the hunt for a new dog to hike and sit by the fire
with. Julia requested a smaller dog this time and a female. She also
didn’t want a purebred or a puppy and preferred a rescue or humane
society dog. Some of those criteria would not have been mine, but I
could live with those guidelines. This week, we narrowed the search
down to Callie, a mix of Blue Heeler and Border Collie, sometimes
referred to as a Border Heeler.
Callie was found as a stray in Indiana, spent some time in an Indiana
shelter, and was rescued by a dog trainer in Wisconsin with Indiana
connections. She comes to us with basic skills and a sweet
disposition. I think she’ll fit right in.
Callie is about a year old, loves to hike, and was looking for a forever home. Seems like a perfect match.
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