Meet the newest member of our family...

Gunga almost always had two dogs. One dog and an "emergency back up dog". Most recently her two dogs were Snickelfritz...
And Dickens...
She loved these little guys. If reincarnation were true, you wouldn't mind coming back as a dog if you could be one of Gunga's dogs. They were loved, spoiled, fed filet mignon leftovers, and forgiven for their many acts of naughtiness.

They were named for pet names my Dad would use for us. He called us "Snickelfritz" and "you little dickens", especially if we were doing something naughty. Unfortunately, these names became a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe she should have named them "Good Dog" and "Doesn't Go Potty in the House".

In March, when Gunga got the news that the current chemo treatment was no longer effective, she realized she needed to "have her things in order". What this meant was an appointment with her lawyer, her accountant and deciding who would take her dogs. My sister Georgie was the obvious choice for Fritzie. Why? Frankly, none of the rest of us wanted him. He is cute and sweet and would never hurt a fly, but he is 8 years old and not, shall we say, trained. But Gunga knew where he would fit and he has found a wonderful home with her family.

Dickens, Gunga's "emergency back up dog", is a 31/2 year old Yorkie-poo who we kept temporarily while my Mom recovered from knee surgery. At that time Bill, the dog whisperer, had him pretty well-trained and we all got a bit attached. I think he is cute as can be. Although my friend Deb said "I just think it's weird that your dog has a beard." Beard or no beard, Dickens is back permanently, as Gunga wished...
Which means we are now a two dog family. Like we needed any more chaos around here! But Ruby and Dickens seem to genuinely like one another...
Lulu calls them "Didi" and "Boo Boo" which may end up sticking...

Do you see how wet Ruby's neck is? That is from the frolicking that these two do together. It's a delicate dance as Ruby's jaw completely surrounds Dickens neck and Dickens nips all around her neck and bites her legs out from under her. It's all very cute and fascinating to watch until Jack yells "Look Mom, how cute...Dickens is up on top of Ruby!" No, not cute. Dog Whisperer, we need that kind of inappropriate behavior to stop.

Though I don't have many complaints, I would also like another little nasty habit of Dickens' to stop. I would prefer not having to lockdown any dirty underwear around the house while doing laundry. None of us are really into wearing the crotchless variety. Only two casualities so far. This actually is probably a good thing for my housekeeping since dirty underwear shouldn't really be laying around my house anyway.

It is sweet for us to have a piece of Gunga with us, albeit a furry one. I think Dickens is adjusting well to his new life with us, though there have definitely been times when he just seems sad...
I know how you feel, little buddy. I miss her too.