Every dog has his day. Unfortunately for Shea, his day is long gone. Shea is my sister Jenn and brother-in-law Bryan’s puggle – a crossbreed of a female beagle with a male pug. He was the first addition to their family after they were married in August of 2003 and quite honestly “ruled the roost” until their oldest daughter Jillian joined the mix in March of 2006.
In an email dated December 28, 2005 (yes, I save every email), Jenn is quoted as saying the following about Shea: ”…I never had a desire to have a dog when we were growing up and now I couldn’t imagine life without Shea. He’s an enormous amount of work and energy but worth every bit of it.” I know Jenn still loves and appreciates Shea, but I do wonder if she would come up with such a fun-loving quote after a long day of him barking at every car and person that passes by on the road outside their house.
What’s in a name? He was named after Shea Stadium (which I believe was my suggestion) because my brother-in-law is a huge Mets fan. Let’s hope they don’t tire of Shea and bring in a bigger, better dog named Citi.
Shea was a house guest for a few wonderful months before Jenn, Bryan and Jillian moved into their current house. Shea makes a great watch dog. Nothing gets past him.
But, I do believe Shea would bark at lint or dust bunnies.
I do still love Shea and dread the day we lose him. Mostly, I feel guilt for not having enough time and energy to entertain him now that two kids have come along! In my defense, whenever I get a toy to throw for him he doesn’t do well with retrieving and it becomes a case of me “fetching the ball”!