4+1+2

At present time, we have seven dogs in the house. Yes, seven. My head feels like it could explode.

Last year when we got our puppy, I befriended the lady who had him. Outside of Facebook and a couple play dates for the pup and his older brother, I hadn't spent much time with her. And, given everything I do know, she's not like most of my other friends.

At Christmas, her dog had another litter of pups. Oddly enough, two of my KC friends decided they wanted her puppies. No problem. I'm always up for a visit from friends. It's also exciting that Remi could have siblings to play with in KC.

The plan was set for one friend to pick up the pups this week.

Two weeks ago, I got a frantic text from the lady with the pups. I needed to pick up the pups that day.

There were five pups initially. They were all of 5 1/2 weeks old when she sold the other three. Ohio has strict laws on selling puppies, even if you aren't a breeder. They must be eight weeks old, have shots and be wormed. Anything less than that is a misdemeanor. I had a huge problem with the pups being weaned and sold at 5-6 weeks.

Anyway, I knew how excited my friends were for their pups. They were buying toys and reading puppy books. I had to go get the pups.

The woman and her husband had fought, he was drunk and hit her. The husband was in jail and she had gone to stay with family. They have several cats and four dogs in a small trailer.

I knew it was coming and was prepared, but she asked us to take Remi's older brother.

When we arrived at the trailer, all the animals were locked inside. Cold (the high was 10 degrees that day), no food or water and the place was a disaster. They'd had no attention for at least 12 hours. It was very clear what was and would happen if we had declined to take the pups. They would continue to be neglected.

We discussed it. We should take the pups for two weeks and decide what to do with the older brother later.

When we got home, they weren't allowed to be in the house until everyone had flea baths.

The pups were in ok condition. They were covered in fleas and smelled of urine and poo. Otherwise, they were healthy.

The older brother, that's a different story. He was saturated with fleas. He had long matted hair. He looked to be the size of Remi. During his bath, we discovered that wasn't the case. He was skinny. I could feel every bone in his tiny body. His claws were all 1-2" long. They were so long that he arched his back to walk and has permanently left an unnatural curve in his spine.

On looking at him closer, I found that he had a massive ear infection on one side. I've never seen a dog have one so bad. He also had never been to the vet, had shots or been wormed. He is also nearly five lbs underweight.

I spent two days angry over his condition and frustrated at pet owners who care but not enough. I love our Remi. This dog, he looks like Remi only with different hair. They have the same disposition and habits.

So, we had the dog to the groomer and vet in the first two days. He's got more visits to both in the coming weeks.

It was obviously traumatized. It took him three days to warm up to Kent. He also spent several days trying to figure out his place and get comfortable.

In our second week now and he's at home. He's ours. He loves us and we love him. He's calm, rarely barks and plays with the others. We'd thought about rehabbing him and finding him a good home. But, he seems to have become a part of our family. I am also not sure I want to add any trauma.

The past few weeks have been extra stressful with all the extra dogs. The pups are always into something.  They've ruined furniture and our carpet. Our house smells so bad. But thankfully, they leave in two days.

I've had a lot of thoughts about all this. I never wanted five dogs. Only our oldest and youngest dogs were purchased as pups. All the rest are rescues. This new addition is fairly low maintenance outside of health issues. It wasn't a huge change to go from four to five. Of course except we went four to seven and will go back to five.

It's also been a picture of how one persons sin spreads like a fire. It doesn't just effect that person. It touches everyone. The woman's life is turned upside down and so are her grown kids. Grandkids who had known her husband as their grandpa. Extended family and friends. Our lives changed and we definitely got hit with a lot of unexpected expenses. That's not a complaint, but a conviction about my own sin. It doesn't effect just me.

The puppies leave in two days and I think we will finally get to settle into our new normal. I can't wait.