Joint Custody

Every week, I had the Babies 3 or 4 days a week while my mom had them for the rest of the week. I would pick up the Babies on Thursday or Friday and keep them on the weekend. On Monday or Tuesday, I would take the Babies to my mom’s. The Babies loved the arrangement. They loved going bye-bye so they were thrilled on the car trips. They would also love seeing people they haven’t seen in a while. These reunions excited them. When they entered my mom’s house, they would hustle through the kitchen to see who was there and what had happened while they were gone. They had a presence about them and commanded attention from those in the house. Their joy and happiness were infectious.


The Babies were not upset when I left without them. They loved my mom and had a lot of catching up to do. Besides, they had over 1.5 acres of yard, a big ranch style home and a 30ft pool to play in. They were in doggy heaven.

I needed the time to clean my condo without any encumbrances from some neurotic dogs petrified of the vacuum cleaner. I gave my place a thorough cleaning. I vacuumed, mopped, dusted and cleaned the bathrooms. I had a day or two to enjoy the cleanliness before entropy incarnate returned to my condo. While the Babies were at my place, my mom had opportunity to clean her place without worrying about scaring the hell out of Andy.

Sometimes when I arrived at my mom’s, I’d see them in the front yard playing. I forgot how good they looked. They were so strong and vibrant. Just watching them play was fun. I wasn’t the only one who liked looking at them. There were neighbors who would slow down considerably as they passed by and gazed up at the Babies playing. The Babies were so carefree. People liked looking at them.

Occassioinally, the Babies would see my car and race around to the side where the driveway was. By the time I made it to the top of the hill, they would be rounding the corner to the side and galloping at full speed. Their faces had smiles on them. I’d play with the Babies out front and greet my family. After an hour, it was time to go home. I’d say the magic words and they would scramble to the side door: “Do you want to go bye-bye?” They almost never turned me down.

On the first walk in the park after they had spent time with my mom, I had to allow for an extra 5 to 10 minutes for the Babies to take that walk. They had to catch up on what had happened at the park. They would closely smell the area trying to figure out who had been there and what they had done.

Some dogs struggle to find one good home to live in. The Babies had two.