Last December, much to Geoff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dismay, we (the children and I) brought a new addition home to the J household. It was a tiny, cute little Rat Terrier that, after much debate, we decided to name Fui (pronounced Phooey). The Rat Terrier breed is very similar looking to the Jack Russell, but with a smaller head and finer facial features. Our dog is black, tan, and white which is commonly referred to as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tri-color\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Fui is mostly black with a white belly and legs and the occasional tan spot. He looks like he is wearing a little Zorro mask and cape. Duh\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6we should have named him Zorro! <\/p>\n
(If any of you can figure out where the name Fui came from, I will give you the title of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Most Awesomely Awesome\u00e2\u20ac\u009d here at the Thang for the month of July. You are ineligible for this award if one of the J\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s has previously told you the story behind Fui\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s name).<\/p>\n
To Geoff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s credit our family does not have a good history with dog ownership. The first dog we adopted was an old and super stinky poodle named \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lady\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. We ended up with Lady after her owner passed away. He had been an elderly man who was not well enough to take the dog out to relieve herself so Lady was in the habit of doing her business wherever it was convenient. By the time Lady came to us whatever potty training skills she may have had were long gone. <\/p>\n
The day we brought Lady home we discovered that not only was Lady smellier than a boys locker room, but she was also incontinent. I noticed that after I let her jump up on the foot of my bed so she could bond with the family. The bonding session quickly ended when the bed suddenly became \u00e2\u20ac\u0153damp\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. <\/p>\n
Soon after the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bed incident\u00e2\u20ac\u009d we took Lady to the vet where we were given a plethora of medications to cover all of the ailments currently plaguing the old gal. Suddenly she became more work than my 3 toddlers combined. Lady lived, or shall I say convalesced, with us for about 8 months at which point I was 6 months pregnant with baby number 4 and in the midst of an intrastate move.<\/p>\n
One day towards the end of Lady\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time with us I heard Geoff shouting from his office, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The dog is loose again!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He rushed out the door and down the hill just in time to witness Lady being hit by a car. After several days at the animal hospital, and a big vet bill, she came home with a huge cast on her front leg. I was worn out but still determined to give Lady my best.<\/p>\n
Her first night home I set her on a big Costco dog pillow and settled her in for the night. The next morning I went to check on Lady only to discover her bed surrounded by a little urine moat. It looked like she had hung her little bum over the side of the bed and just let it go all night long.<\/p>\n
I was upset to say the least. With tears in my eyes I told Geoff that on top of being pregnant with number 4 and trying to get our family moved, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the energy to be a power chair for a geriatric dog. After a short discussion we decided that it was time for Lady to move on and we were lucky enough to find a wonderful poodle rescue in the country that was willing to take her. Not long after that we loaded up the moving truck and headed off to Arizona.<\/p>\n
Stay tuned for A Dogs Life Part 2: “The Duchess”
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