Who saved who?

     I swear, I could fill a pillow with the hair shedding off this dog!  This dog, this smelly, hairy, amazing, intuitive, nearly perfect dog! Whenever I freak out about all the hair, I look at his sweet face and know that he is the best thing we have done as a family in a long time.
     Last September, we decided it was time to take the plunge and get a dog. We visited several shelters and viewed the online websites of shelters and rescues for months, looking for the perfect dog... the right fit. My husband found a skinny, stray, black Lab that the Washington County Humane Society had named "Sir Lancelot".
     I have to give a shout out to those folks. They really do their homework on the animals, running them through a series of "tests" so that they can tell you any quirks the animal might have. After walking him and talking with the staff, we all decided he was "the one". Well, my husband and son decided, I was still not completely convinced but, if they liked him, then I was good with it. I was honestly thinking to myself, I could live without a dog for the rest of my life because I'm the one who's going to feed him and walk him and clean up his messes and figure out who he stays with when we go away and worry about staying somewhere too long because I have to go home and let the dog out.
     Well, can I tell you.... I'm in love. We renamed him Boomer and he has been a friend to everyone in the family. He wakes my son in the morning, giving him a tongue bath on his face, the only thing peeking from underneath the covers. He calms my husband, who comes home stressed from work to an excited welcoming, tail wagging, hand licking friend. And the two of them proceed to tug on either side of a frisbee until one wins and my husbands stresses are forgotten. I will frequently find Boomer lounged out next to one of them on the couch or laying on their feet under the table.
    He keeps me company, has given me unconditional love, gets me walking in the morning and makes me laugh. 

Civil War Boomer, dressed in my son's civil war hat.

Sleeping in.

There's always room for one more on the couch.

Fighting for the frisbee.

BFFs

What a pretty boy!

     All those little inconveniences don't mean a thing compared to the friendship and joy he has brought to our lives. We saved him but he saved us as well. 
     I'm giving him a scratch right now.... oh, man, will you look at all this hair on the floor!!!