New family member on the way

This evening we'll be bringing home a new family member.

Last Sunday, our grown-up niece tearfully asked if we could adopt her beloved pug Marshall, who is being left home alone for too many hours a day as she works a new retail management job. Marshall is 3, and he's a little sweetie.

Uncle Craig and I had a little bit of thinking to do. For instance, how will Marshall get along with Baby, our nearly-12-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, who has pretty much ruled the roost since we lost Macbeth, an elderly Dalmatian, in December of 2006.

Well, we decided to go for it. Baby enjoyed having Macbeth for company, and she and Marshall will no doubt work out their own protocols.

Our little niece called to tell us that Marshall is very sweet and easy to take care of. She advised Uncle Craig that we won't even have to pet Marshall, just look at him once in a while and talk to him and he'll be happy. Uncle Craig assured her that since we have two laps between us, we expect to have a dog on each one!

Stay tuned...