Week in Transition

After a week of living in parallel with my son and stalking the rescue group, I finally got word on Friday, that "Donie" was ours. I was at work when I found out and called my sister to tell her the good news. She went up to Colin's room to hammer out an agreement before I committed.

My son said he would pick up poop, walk the dog at night (I'm guessing to avoid lawn mowers and neighbors who might inquire about his absence), and he would take the dog to training (I could come along if I did not speak to him).

He would make the drive to Kentucky to get the dog. I was not to speak to him but he was o.k. if my sister and I talked to each other. He was told by his aunt that he needed to "act normal" at the shelter.

I then committed to picking up our new family member on Saturday morning and put some very basic rules for coexisting to paper. I used Google Docs and emailed a link to Colin so he would have a chance to review and edit if needed. (as suspected, he refused to look at them) I also made several copies and laminated them.

Living in Harmony with Colin

This is a list of rules for co-exisiting in the same house.

1. Room in the Basement - must be kept clean and free of food. During the week, t.v. must be off by 10:00 p.m.

2. Meals must be eaten in the kitchen with plates taken to the sink. We moved the refrigerator to the garage, no turning it off.

3. Conversation can be kept to a minimum but must be polite and civil. Yelling, growling or name calling is not o.k.  If you have a problem, either write a note or tell us in person.

4. Therapy will not continue if not desired as long as we can co-exist peacefully. Dentist and Pediatrician appointments are necessary.  

5. Personal hygiene is important and regular showers are required.

6. If we get a dog, there are conditions for ownership.

    a. Must be able to pick up poop on walks and help keep the yard clean.

    b. Dog must go for training

    c. Must help care for dog

Post to Parent Group June 8 at 3:04pm

After a just over 2 hour ride (each way) ( my sister drove us in her conversion van; her dog came along) and an hour wait, we brought home a new puppy. I was able to bring my son and the puppy home last night and we are all adjusting.
Potty-training a 10 week-old pup and reintegrating my son back into our home is gonna take some work. Definitely a process. But I am noticing small amounts of progress.
We will leave shortly for the pet store to pick up a few more supplies. While we face a long road ahead for reconciliation and healing. I had feared things would be much worse.

Some people WANT a dog. We really NEEDED this puppy. He seems to have a calming effect. He is a Shar Pei - Lab mixed breed and Colin renamed him Sumter ( as in the battle of Fort Sumter). He wanted a German name and as much as this is not a name I would have picked, it somehow seems fitting. The next four years will be a battle..... stay tuned!