I don't think I've ever decided to keep a foster dog as quickly as I decided on Bailey. She's cute and sweet, but we've had a lot of those. She was also the right dog at the right time.
No one should ever doubt my bond and commitment to Maya. She has been with us for 11 or more years now, through some very rough times. We've merged into a human/canine blend that I hadn't experienced since Gypsy with its own unique character. We logged more miles than I can count covering every inch of the trails at Pleasant Grove many times over, and trails at several other parks as well. Whenever I'm at home, either working or in bed, we are either in physical contact with one another or no more than inches apart. This closeness is her most cherished and jealously guarded benefit of her seniority that she asserts over all other dogs. She will have it always.
But I'm mindful of the fact that Maya is probably close to 12 years old now. She doesn't enjoy going for walks any more, she likes to be at home and she likes me to be here too. In the early years, even after she was "homed" here, she'd hop the fence and go off on adventures on her own, returning when she was ready completely oblivious to the fact that I was a nervous wreck every moment she was away, aging 10 minutes for every one that she was gone. Now, on the relatively rare occasions that I leave the house, she seems to think that all manner of disaster has befallen me and she chews me out when I come home. Maya is a homebody now and I love that.
Della and Maya have co-existed peacefully for over four years now. Della is smart enough never to have challenged Maya on what is most important to Maya — her proximity to me. With that concession to Maya's seniority, Maya was happy enough to cede most other aspects of the female canine role to Della. That includes the walking with me, going places away from home, keeping the other dogs in line, etc. Della is substantially younger than Maya, but she's probably 6 going on 7 anyway, and she's a giant breed dog. Della already doesn't care for the longer hikes, and on hot days I really can't take her out much at all.
Being realistic without being morbid, the fact is that there's going to be a spot for an ambitious young female dog around here that I think Bailey can grow into in the years to come. She will have some very big paw prints to fill. She's a young Malinois and I'm determined to do some things differently with her, particularly training, but I think she will be a good fit in our lives for the long haul.
Photos: Early morning walk of 2.4 miles with Della and Paisley (I asked Maya but she made it very clear that she did not want to go.) Evening walk of 3.6 miles with Bailey and Dodger.
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