a full house

This past week, my parents were visiting from Orlando. They brought their dog with them for the first time. It was quite a full house! 4 people, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and a fish... I felt quite overwhelmed but now that everyone's gone it seems so quiet.

My parents' dog is a spaniel mix named Spunky. We got her when she was 5 weeks old way back in February of 1998 - so she is almost 10 years old now. We got her so young because the people who owned her mother told us if we didn't take her then, they would give her away to someone else. Since free puppies are hard to come by in Peru, we took Spunky in. She was so cute and tiny, but she also suffered separation anxiety a lot. She cried and cried, especially when we weren't home, and drove our neighbors batty.

Spunky moved with us when we relocated permanently to the States in 2001. She changed a lot after being here. In Peru, she barked a lot and was antsy. We lived on a somewhat busy road with lots of cars and foot traffic, and we had a very tiny front yard. In the States, she had a yard to play in for the first time - how she loved getting her energy out! Also, since my parents' house is somewhat set back from the road, she isn't as distracted by people walking. She's much calmer and quieter. She loves to go sit in the driveway in the sun and watch the world go by.

My parents are traveling a lot this fall, so Spunky is going to be staying with us for a few months. It will be interesting! She loves the cats and the cats love her, especially Lewis. Zoey really wants to play, but Spunky isn't so sure (old woman!). I am excited to take Spunky to the off-leash dog park and see how she does!

So, it will be quite a full house this fall! I feel like I have 4 children. :-) I love taking care of animals, but I'm praying this doesn't sap all the energy out of me!