Madeleine And The Pooch
Almost two years into the dog and Rusty has proven himself to be a success : sure, he craps five or six times a day, scratches himself in front of our guests, jumps on everybody and occassionally pees on the kitchen floor. Sonnet generally hates Rusty but puts up with him too. On the plus side, he gets me out of bed in the morning for a sunrise run or walk; follows me about the house silently, making himself comfortable wherever I am; is loved by the kids and gives us a lot to laugh about (Eitan: "Look, Dad, Rusty is licking his balls! Ha, ha, ha!"). As Roger likes to say about a dog: worth its weight in middle-age therapy.
Madeleine gets full credit for pushing the dog through. Without her persistence, it would not have happened. Now the pooch is part of la familia.