by Karen Greenberg

Created on: March 24, 2009

The rewards of owning a pet
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I didn't want a dog. The hair meant extra cleaning for me. The dog would need to be walked- another chore for me. I would wind up cleaning the dog waste from the yard, and I would be the one to feed the dog. Yes, I knew that the responsibilities of a pet would fall squarely on my shoulders. Because of this, my vote was no.

My daughters, age six and eight, had brought up the subject of a family pet. My husband, knowing he would not be in charge of the every day tasks, was all for it. Of course, with the whole family wanting to bring a canine friend into the house, I was out-voted. Reward number one: Seeing the smiles on the faces of my family.
Since I was stuck with the decision to add a family member, I was sure to make clear the type of dog I would be satisfied with. We would not be purchasing an animal. We would save one. It had to be on the small side, but not a "yapper" as I call them. Knowing my criteria I went to Craig's List on-line and started the search.
The "perfect" dog presented itself after several days of looking. A sheltie mix was looking for a new home because his family had been evicted. They had until the next day to find a home for the dog, or he would find his way to the county animal shelter- the pound. Whisper was his name. He was housebroken and good with kids. He got along with other dogs. Great! I asked my husband to pick up Whisper while I was at my college class that night.
To my great surprise two dogs met me at the front door when I arrived home. Ummm how did this happen? My husband explained to me that Whisper had a brother, Shadow. Shadow had not been lucky as Whisper had been. He had not found a home and would be going to the pound the next morning. My husband's big heart just wouldn't allow Shadow to be left behind. He offered to find a new home for Shadow so he didn't have to spend even one night in doggie jail. Reward number two: Doing a good deed and possibly saving a life.
Over the next couple of days, we realized the names Whisper and Shadow just didn't fit our new pets. Our family talked over names, trying to find those of famous brothers. The personalities were perfect, not for famous brothers but a popular couple of roommates. Bert and Ernie learned their new name quickly and seem to enjoy them. Once the boys were named I knew both of them would be staying with us. Ernie, previously Shadow, would not be finding

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