Meet Max and Auggie. They are our furry children. It’s just like children- our lives revolve around Max and Auggie. We rescued Auggie four years ago. He is a Red Heeler(Australian Cattle dog) He was found wandering the countryside in the Seneca, SC area and was brought into a vet’s office. He missed his puppy hood. He doesn’t really know how to play. He couldn’t even play fetch but he learned. Now when he sees a tennis ball he quivers with anticipation of bolting across the yard to get the ball. He’s really a fantastic view when he leaps into the air to catch the ball. You can see his muscles quiver as he lands on all fours. The funny thing is that when you tell him that we are done, he takes the ball quickly, runs and makes you chase him to get the ball and go inside. Pretty cute. He’s also my 45 lb. cuddling lap dog.

Now there’s Max! We rescued him from the Lavonia, GA area almost two years ago. He was about 12 weeks old and cute with his floppy ears. He is a Blue Heeler Mix (Australian Cattle dog) He should have been named Dennis, you know, like the old comedy show Dennis the Menace. He gets into everything. We don’t dare leave a coffee cup sitting around…he loves coffee. If he’s in the house he continuously jumps up to see what he can find on the kitchen cabinets. I haven’t used the word NO this much since my children started walking. He’s eaten bananas, peeling and all. Let me say too, that, yes, we did see it later. Think about that a minute and I think you will get the picture. He’s broken his hip and now has two toggle bolts and a synthetic tendon.

The other day I was doing laundry and as I folded and prepared to put everything up I told Mike that I was missing a sock. We ventured out for an activity that night and as usual we brought the dogs in with us as we came in. I changed clothes and quickly began to look for Max. He was very quiet. As I walked into the room upstairs I noticed he had something in his mouth. Yep you guessed it…the missing sock. I reached for it and he decided we were playing a game and he took off behind the recliner, dodging me at every move. Goodness he his quick on his feet – I am not. I finally yelled for him to STOP. He stopped, turned around, planted all fours firmly on the floor and quickly slurped the sock up like a piece of spaghetti. Great! All I could think of was how much this was going to cost me while Mike was declaring that he could just go meet his maker. (He was joking. Max is his buddy!) Well four days later, early in the morning we found the sock. He threw it up. It had been sitting in his stomach like Jonah in the whale. Mike actually wanted me to wash it so he could wear it again. Didn’t happen.

So these Christmas season, if you’re thinking about getting a pet, rescue one.  Pets have to truly be thought of as part of your family. Love them. Cherish them and spend time with them and most of all be committed to keeping them for life.