We shipped Jackson out to Drew's sister's house at the beginning of the summer. The dog was misbehaving in the potty department, and I couldn't deal with that. I won't go into detail, because it's embarrassing that we let a dog get away with that behavior. Suffice to say, Jackson now lives two blocks south of our home, and he's getting the attention he deserves needs.
About a month ago, Steve was getting rid of some of his surplus tile, and a lady came to his shop to purchase some. She was accompanied by her female black lab, Nori. Steve admired the pup and told the lady about Clark, and commented on how sweet Nori was. The lady informed Steve that she was going to have to find a new home for the dog, since she and her husband were moving to a condo. Perhaps Steve would like to add another lab to our collection? Steve told me about the dog that day, but we've never spoken of it since. Until yesterday, when he told me Clark was getting a girlfriend.
WE IZ IN UR HOUZ, TAKIN OVER N LEVN R HARBALLZ ON UR FLOR
Well, what was I supposed to say? They were going to put her to sleep-and, I have no power of veto over Steve's wild hair ideas. She is sugar sweet, a skinnier, less skittish version of our beast. The now former owners gave us a 55 pound bag of her pricey food, a very nice kennel and a whole bunch of medication. Why? Because she has hip dysplasia just like Clark, an apparent yeast infection in her ears, and (gulp) worms.
Clark is on record as not being crazy about this idea, which surprises me, since he and Jackson coexisted peacefully and without incident for two and a half years. He must see his smaller doppelganger as something of a real threat, both for our affections and his territory. There's been some growling and baring of teeth over chew toys, but I'm hoping this is just an adjustment period. Poor little Nori doesn't stand a chance against Clark The Ginormous, so she's being appropriately submissive.
So now, we're a two dog household again, only this time, they pant in stereo. Welcome to the Jungle.
