Carryin' our Cairn Back Home

I was amazed at how docile our little puppy was when I first met him. I scooped him up out of the newspaper-lined pen he shared with his sister and I cradled him against my cheek. He didn't seem to react at all.
After we paid for him, George and I both felt sad for the momma dog who watched us every step of the way out of the house. As soon as we were outside, we put him on the grass to pee before we got started on our two hour-plus ride home. We were amazed as he stood there motionless - George and I figured he'd never touched grass before.

I had brought a beach towel with us, and I held him in it for the ride home. I couldn't take my eyes off him - it had been many years since I had seen, much less held a puppy, and Hudson was breathtakingly cute to me.

He slept until we stopped at one of G's favorite spots; Two Brothers Barbeque in Ballground, Georgia. While George went in to get us some chopped pork and slaw to take home, I took Hudson across the street to a grassy area to try the pee thing again. Once again he stood stock-still, looking around like the world was a completely foreign place, which of course it was.

While we were standing there, a man came over from the restaurant parking lot to see Hudson. He had been standing by a pair of Harley Davidsons and said he was waiting for his wife to come out with their lunch. He bent over and patted Hudson, then started talking about dogs he had owned in the past. It was at that point that I realized that I was now a member of the world-wide dog owners club, and as such, I would always have something to talk about with other members, even if they were strangers.

Of Old Men and Young Dogs

 

Hi, my name is George. Bethany and I are longtime sweethearts who live in Dalton, Georgia. Between us, we have four grown and nearly-grown sons. This is our first blog.  

Bethany and I gave a lot of thought to buying a puppy. B and I are longtime dog lovers and have owned a number of wonderful animals through the years, usually the larger variety. Now empty-nesters, and not having had a dog around for many years, we both really missed the unique companionship a dog can offer.

 

On the other hand, we both still work, and the challenge of raising a puppy was not something we considered lightly. I suppose I wanted to get a dog more than B, but she also loves them – and me – so we began our search for the wonder puppy.

 

Enter Hudson, an eight-week-old Cairn Terrier. We had looked online for a Cairn, since it’s a breed we both thought would be a perfect size for the limited back yard of our condominium. It’s a dog of incredible cuteness, as well; really, what’s not to like about Toto, the Cairn from “The Wizard of Oz?”

 

We found Hudson about 120 miles from where we live, and we chose him from a photo the breeder e-mailed to us. 

The day before we went to fetch him, we prepared for his arrival with a remarkably expensive trip toPetco to buy the requisite supplies for puppy ownership: crate, feeding bowls, collar & leash, multiple toys, treats (Bully Nuggets), and a gymbag-sized carrier. A very helpful Petco associate advised us to hold off on buying food until we learned what the breeder was feeding. 

So, on Saturday, March 9, 2013, we drove to Lawrenceville, GA, to meet and bring our puppy home. Hudson was as pretty as his picture, although a lot smaller than B or I had imagined.  

Hudson’s owner is a hobby breeder, and she had raised the puppies of Hudson’s litter entirely inside her condominium – something we realized when we first put Hudson on the grass outside to relieve himself before we returned home. The grass was a totally alien world for this small puppy, and he didn’t like it at all. 

The journey home – Hudson in B’s arms rather than the carrier – was uneventful, although I did stop and let him try to go outside again; it was clear he had no affinity for the natural environment – not yet, at least.