by Linda B. Myers

My household consists of Sis and two smallish adopted dogs. I decided to screw up this happy balance by ‘rescuing’ another animal, a biggish dog this time. One with a lot of hugging potential. Think along the lines of a horse.

I was not quite prepared for the cost of rescue. Adoptees are likely to come with a helluva price tag. Meet Logan. He is half huge something and half enormous something else. The adoption fee was a reasonable $250 (reasonable in that it include altering and vaccinations and so forth). So I agreed.

“Not so fast,” I was told.

The first thing I had to do was prove my qualifications. I successfully clambered over that hurdle but was then told I needed to have medical records of our two dogs updated before I could adopt Logan. So off to the vet with the innocent bystanders. Dotty and Jinx both received all necessary renewal shots. Then the vet recommended surgery for both dogs, one on the teeth and one on an eyelid. I’m glad we had it done. Dotty and Jinx probably don’t agree. Regardless, add surgery to the cost of rescue.

Then the cost of BIG dog food and leashes and bowls and toys. When did dog beds get pricier than human beds?

This dog loves to put his paws on my shoulders which causes me to wobble like a Weeble. He nearly went through the patio door when he spotted his first deer. Add in the cost of a new gate, the person to install it, and the hiring of a dog trainer. And, oh yes, the price of getting a dog home from another state … an 80 pound dog with motion sickness. Finally, yes, the cost of the DNA test. Plus the house plants uprooted and the carpet cleaning.

This all happened within week one. Currently, Dotty growls at me; Jinx is secretly packing up her ball and bowl, thinking of leaving the family who rescued her; Sis is maintaining a stiff upper lip (yes, the one scratched by Logan); and Logan loves everybody. I believe I see improvement on the horizon, don’t you? And I am telling you, sometimes money can buy love. I adore the big galoot.

I’ll need to add to my car’s back window one of those stickers that shows the cartoon members of a happy family. My sticker will be two elders, two dogs, and a Tyrannosaurus rex. Hope your family gathers round you in thought or in fact this holiday season.

See Linda’s collection of Sequim Gazette articles in her newest book, “What Little I Know Now,” available at Pacific Mist, Amazon, and holiday craft shows.