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| Gus at 4 weeks |
Gus is the newest addition to our family. My child accuses me of loving Gus more than him. No, I'm not one of those freaky pet owners. Don't get me wrong...there are times which I enjoy being around my animals more than I do people but I'm not weird freaky. I do find humor in the things Gus does but first and foremost...he is a pet. He does not think that he is a person. I am the alpha and he is part of 'my pack'. The cats pretty much put him in his place as another animal in the house with not so nice reminders. Honey is the queen and Happy loves to love all over Gus.
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| Gus at 3 months |
The story of Gus: In 2009, my child and I had to put our beloved Angus Haggis MacDuff to sleep. Duff was also a Scottish Terrier. He was the best dog I have ever had! He was a re-homed dog. We got him when he was 6. I had never had a Scottish Terrier and I was really hesitant, after all, I heard horrible stories about terriers in general. Duff was my dog and as I researched more about the breed, I found that Scotties typically bond with 1 or 2 people. It was evident that Duff was mine so his death was particularly hard on me. I had never bonded with any animal. His death also came at time of personal crisis in my life. My father had just passed away after a short fight with cancer. Duff died in February and I had decided that I would wait awhile before I got another dog. Besides, I wasn't sure that I wanted another Scottie. Duff was 'different'. He did not meet any of the stereotypes of a terrier. He did not bark unless there was a reason. He didn't bite or snap at people. By June, I was beginning to get that feeling that it was time. About a year before Duff died, I had contacted a Scottie breeder in eastern Virginia. Duff had numerous health problems and I contacted this breeder for some help with his diet. I found that I really liked her and her advice made lots of sense. Since I trusted her, I knew that she could help me find a reputable Scottie breeder. I actually wanted one of her dogs but she had stopped breeding Scotties to focus on Mastiffs. I contacted her the end of June. Boy was I surprised when she immediately e-mailed back and told me of a breeder whose puppy was due any day! This happened so fast. I really thought it would be a year before I would bring a puppy home! Gus was born July 1. Another sign that this was meant to be! I'm a July baby too. I contacted the breeder, Dana, and set up an appointment to meet when the babies were about 4 weeks old. I had read that I really needed to check out the mamma, daddy and breeder. Mother and I took a trip to Newport news to meet my potential new baby. I was so impressed with Dana and her babies. She is not a large breeder. She keeps her babies in her house and is very selective with potential owners. As I was checking her out, she was checking me out too. When I first walked in, 'Gus' came right up to me. I knew then and there that he had just chosen me. There was no turning back. I fell in love with this bundle of black. We visited again at 6 weeks, just to make sure, and once again, Gus came right up to me. The deal was done. At 8 weeks, we'd bring him home.
So here I am, sitting on the couch, Gus at my side. He has brought much love and joy to the family. He is also very humorous. Having an animal helps keep life in perspective...don't take life so seriously.
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| Gus at 11 months |
