Our Boston Terrier Gus died five or six weeks ago, and I wanted to offer an update on where we stand dog-wise. Red and Fate adjusted rather easily to Gus’s absence, I think Fate misses playing, but it is otherwise her odd  and energetic self.

We miss Gus, and we are eager to pursue the small dog experience, hopefully with a happier outcome. I loved the small dog  experience, I loved Gus, I loved his breed and I’m eager to pick up where poor Gus left off. He taught me a lot about dogs, and he fit in so perfectly with our farm.

Our plan is to wait for Robin’s dog Emma to go into heat and mate. That hasn’t happened yet, but she is due, actually overdue. Our preference would be get another dog from Robin Gibbons, a friend and conscientious breeder. We respect her and trust her.

It would be nice to close this circle in this way.

And she breeds healthy and very sweet dogs.

I got a message and photo from a Boston Terrier rescue site this morning, they sent a photo of Winston, a four-year-old BT who sounds a lot like Gus. The rescue group said Boston Terrier’s should not be around live stock, which surprised me, since Gus loved hanging out with the donkeys and the sheep. That might be a deal killer for them.

I am open to the rescue experience, as you know, a score of rescue creatures, including dogs, have come through our farm at various times and in various ways.  And it’s a wonderful experience to get a dog that needs a home. But I won’t get a rescue dog just to rescue something, getting a dog is not a moral decision for me but a very practical one.

The dog has to be right for us, for our sake and his or hers.

Maria and I both are happy to wait for Emma to breed, if that happens. I am eager to move forward, but it’s healthy to have some time between dogs, especially after an experience like ours with Gus.

I sometimes find the online rescue experience troubling. Many of the sites seem more interested in denying dogs that seeing them adopted. They take the joy out of it for me.

I did inquire about Winston, he is somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic, and I will wait to hear from them (sounds like they won’t send a dog to a farm with animals) keep on browsing in case Emma can’t breed again. I’m trying to keep my head clear. I have no use for the obnoxious people who try to guilt-trip me into getting a rescue dog only. That’s never going to work for me. The best way t get a dog is to get the dog you want, not the dog somebody else tells me to get.

Getting another dog from Robin feels right to us, and worth waiting for. Good vibes all around. I am not undone by Gus’s death, I was a police reporter in Atlantic City, Philadelphia and Washington, and I have seen a lot of trouble, I don’t unravel.

I want to pick up the small dog journey and keep going with it.

Dogs are a grounding experience for me, they mark the passages of my life. I love dogs so much I can’t wait to get another one. But I will.

Stay tuned.