I mentioned previously that on the first day of Christmas Vacation, not only did Mr R fall out of a tree, but a stray puppy showed up.

The children named him PeanutZilla, and took him to the dog run. Our landlords previously bred pit bulls, which aren't even legal in Denver, but are sold on the side of the road, along with collard greens, around here. So there is a secure dog run complete with dog house and 8 foot high wire fence.

The fed and played with the new puppy, and in a stunning display of responsibility, Mr R even cleaned up the poop with a shovel so no one would step in it. This is a huge step - the boy has "hygiene issues" and sometimes doesn't even wipe himself, so Tootsie Roll Patrol is definitely an act of love for him!

That night, PeanutZilla whined to go outside. He's housebroken!

The next day, some boys came through the neighborhood looking for a dog. They described PeanutZilla, and the kids said goodbye to their new pet. Fortunately, there were few tears; unfortunately, it was because they were convinced they were getting a dog for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, I saw PeanutZilla in the ditch on the side of the road near our neighborhood's entrance. Fortunately, the boys in the car didn't notice.



Husband dear was very upset, convinced we never should have given the dog to those kids. What else could we do? Steal someone's puppy two days before Christmas? Apparently, PeanutZilla was quite an escape artist.

Our previous attempt at dog ownership also met with disaster.

A friend on a homeschooling message board wanted to give away her dog. He was great with kids, but her husband had gotten a new job and the entire family planned to travel the world with him. They bit the bullet, and after meeting Buddy, we agreed to take him home.

He was, indeed, good with children. He was a little Jack Russell terrier and had tons of energy. We loved Buddy! About three or four days after bringing Buddy into our family, the previous owner called. She had his little bed, and found some toys that she wanted to drop by.

She then called back and said she changed her mind. They needed Buddy back. Her children were heartsick and her husband was sad. We lost Buddy. The owner also promised to make it up to the kids, and told them she would send them some Wishbone books (Buddy looked exactly like Wishbone). She never did, and we never heard from them again.

I am not a dog person. I see these things as signs that dog ownership is not in our immediate future. Husband dear sees these things as signs we need to go out and get a dog. Maybe two.
We'll see.