A puppy!!!! Overwhelming joy!

My beloved Wilson Wolfhound died in February at the tragically young age of 4.5 owing to heart failure, a problem in the breed. I was bereft; if one loves big dogs, there is nothing so comforting as a big dog to wrap one's arms around, to talk to, to love. I have missed my big darling desperately during this wilderness time. My two old terrier mixes, also beloved, have been doing their level best to pick up the slack, but anyone who knows terriers knows that, for them, picking up slack generally means redoubling their efforts to manage the entire household. I have laughed and laughed, and the Terrors and I have enjoyed wonderful long walks even though they are both 14 and each have several veterinary diagnoses.

A wonderful friend of mine in wolfhounds has been putting the word out that there was a home that needed a wolfhound, just in case a wolfhound came along that needed a home. Today, a five-month-old puppy came to join me and the Terrors. He has spent much of his life outdoors without a lot of human contact and affection. However, he is rapidly deciding that affection and patting feel very good, that a house with soft rugs on the floor feels good for sleeping, and that one's very own bowl of fresh cool water is a particularly good thing, especially when one has not had these things on a regular basis before. He tells my friends and me, by virtue of his face, that his name is Toby.

When I met him earlier today he was overwhelmed and exhausted. But by tonight he had met the Terrors and loved them, figured out how to lean on me and ask for patting, figured out how to look up with endearing puppy eyes and give kisses, discovered his puppy bark, etc. He is simply adorable.

We now will begin the adventures of socializing, training, vetting, and etc. But oh, it is so wonderful to have a big furry friend to hug.