An Interview with Austen About Adler

When Adler wants to play she doesn't just bother Tom and me. She now knows she can go to Austen and sometimes he'll play with her too. However, she usually does this after Austen's been at school all day and all he wants to do is play by himself in his room with no disruptions. So often, I hear him whining, "No, Adler, I don't wanna play!" I then tell him not to be mean to Adler and if he doesn't want to play with her then we'll give her away to one of his friends who would love to have a dog (of course I'm teasing because I would never give Adler away). This is met by more whining and almost begging me not to give Adler away. I tell him that he doesn't know how lucky he is to have a dog and especially Adler.

In fact, one weekend while at a friend's house who had two dogs, Austen got to experience what it was like to have a small dog and a medium sized dog. Austen liked the medium sized dog but for some reason was afraid of the small dog. We left Austen to draw in their dining room while we mingled with the other guests when all of a sudden I noticed Tom was gone. When he returned, he told me that he had heard Austen on the other side of the house calling for us because the dog was barking at him and following him. Austen couldn't find us in their big suburban house and ended up getting cornered in the laundry room by the small dog who was barking at him. I couldn't stop laughing when Tom told me. Poor Austen. But, when he's mean to Adler, I tell him that Bailey is going to come live with us!

Maybe that made him appreciate Adler all the more. Here's one of those rare moments when he was relishing spending time with his dog: