A Dog's Life

Every kid needs a pet, right? We know that many of our children will be adopted by families who have dogs, and we didn't want them to be afraid of their future family members of the furry variety. So, after searching for a few weeks, we found a local Beijing animal lover's organization that was willing to donate a Beagle to the foster home. (We actually had to have a home study interview and fill out adoption papers!) The dog's name is Tong, but when the kids say it, most of them sound like they are saying "Tom." So for now, that's what he's called, but we're not sure what his name will be!

For the first few weeks, the children kept a wide berth between themselves and the dog, but they've slowly gotten to know him a little more. For the most part, they like him, but they still prefer to have a "grown-up" by their side when they get close.

Except for Peter; He's a bit braver than the rest. But when we recently found him and the dog sitting in the grass, inspecting each other, we noticed that Peter quickly started trying to shoo him away as Tong came closer. On the other hand, when Tong came to inspect Brett's little scooter that he uses to get around the yard, Brett threw himself off and scampered off as quickly as possible!

We're really happy with Tong. He's a sweet dog who never barks and likes the children. We think with time, the kids will grow to love him more and more!

So, if anyone's counting, that brings our pet total to: a dog, a goat, and a handful of bunnies.