We adopted Mac last spring. He’s a Jack Russell/Boxer mix, but with a lot more Boxer traits than Jack Russell.
Why We Adopted a Second Dog
For a long time Lisa and I had been talking about adopting another dog to be a companion to Faith and to help socialize her. But we weren’t sure how Faith would interact with another dog. Then last spring we arranged with some friends to go on a vacation to Williamsburg for a week, our first vacation since we’d adopted Faith.
Up till then we’d never left Faith alone for more than a day. Faith, though, had gotten better at dealing with new people. And Lisa knew a young woman, Kim, who said she would be happy to stay in our home and dog sit while we were away. Kim also had a dog named Charlie who would be coming with her. We had Kim over for a few visits, and Faith got along well with her. Faith even took food from Kim’s hand during the first visit. Finally, Kim brought Charlie to the house and introduced him to Faith.
The two dogs got along famously. So we knew we could get a companion for Faith.
How We Found Mac
Mac's Favorite Place in the House -- the Green Chair
Lisa found Mac on petfinder.com. We had a couple of pretty strict requirements for a new dog. Faith’s companion had to be even tempered, enjoy being with other dogs, and get along with cats. After a long search, she found Mac, who lived in a foster home about an hour away. What really sold Mac to us was a photo of him sleeping alongside a cat.
Lisa contacted Mac’s caretaker, Jody, who was fostering him, and then we went to meet them. Even though Mac was shy around us, we liked him immediately. A week or so later, Jody brought Mac to our house to meet Faith. Faith and Mac hit it off great.
Shortly afterwards, Mac came to live with us.
Life with Mac
Jody works with an animal shelter,and was fostering Mac’s mother at her home when Mac was born. Until Mac came to us, he’d spent his entire life at Jody’s house living with her and the seven other dogs Jody was fostering. At the time, Mac was around two — the same age as Faith. Jody had listed Mac on petfinder.com almost since he’d been born. Lisa and I still can’t figure out why a dog as sweet and loving as Mac was never adopted by anyone. We feel fortunate, though, that we found him.
Mac is a laid-back dog whose chief pleasures in life are:
- Eating anything he can find
- Sitting on or lying in the green chair in our dining room looking out the window
- Going on walks, hopefully to see deer or squirrels
- Raiding the cat litter box the few times we inadvertently leave the pet gate to the laundry room open
Jody told us that Mac was an “indoor” dog, and she was right. Except when we take him for a walk, he prefers to hang out inside. Faith, on the other hand, always liked to be outdoors in the yard all the time. But now she prefers to stay inside to be with Mac.
Mattie and Mac Kissing
So far, Mac doesn’t seem to have made much of a socializing effect on Faith. But the two of them have become fast friends.
Both Mac and Faith want to play with our cats Caesar and Princess, but more to nuzzle them and chase them as if they were dogs instead of cats. Neither cat likes that too much.
Our one-eyed cat, Mattie, on the other hand, can’t get enough of Mac and Faith. When Mac nuzzles her, Mattie nuzzles him back. In fact, Mattie loves to lie on her back, clasp Mac’s snout between her front paws, and lick him while he licks her back. Or she likes to play with Mac’s tail or grab one of his legs and lick it.
Mac has been a wonderful addition to our household.
