Rufus, the Cairn Terrier (reader pets)

This is Rufus, a Cairn Terrier we “saved” from a pet group here in Eureka called “The Farm Store.” They attempt to buy as many pets around northern CA that are destined to be destroyed by over-run pet sanctuaries.

Rufus is two years old, spent all his life in a kennel, and is one of the most adroit dogs we’ve ever encountered. He can jump from a standing still position straight up six feet or so. And that keen eye his Scottish breeders sought to heighten to see the voles and little varmints eating that great Scottish grain, together with lightning fast reflexes, allow him to grab a frisbee out of my hand before I even get a chance to throw it.

 

For a couple of gay dads (now grandfathers) he’s a welcome reminder to us to get up off our soft asses and walk him, and he makes no bones about it. So we have a very loving and symbiotic relationship. He knows he’s in a loving home, has a variety of moods that occasionally flash across his face, and he is fiercely devoted.

I’m pretty sure at some level he knows that we saved him for a really horrible life, and in his own little ways tries very hard to please us – which he does constantly, whether it’s by sleeping on his back, paws straight up, with his body in a “smiley” pose, or his effort to befriend every dog, big or small, that he meets.

Ed and Rufus.

At our age, Rufus is a true gift. Hopefully we’re returning the good karma he’s earned in his short, unhappy life before we came along.

Erin Stevenson
Eureka, CA

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