Georgia

One of the big changes to our household over the past six months has been getting a dog. I haven't had a dog for years. When I was very small we had a black Labrador, and then when I was a teenager we got a Golden Retriever that we named Lapper. She was a lovely dog, and we had her for fifteen years, and it broke my heart when she died.

When Rick and I married, we got two cats: Minou and Tess. Tess went missing when she was about eight months old -- we think she was killed by a dog. Minou suffered eosinophilic granulomas, which meant she was on long-term steroids and then chemotherapy for a long time. We had her for about twelve years till she got cancer. The kids were heartbroken.

Then we got Beth. She's black and tabby (as opposed to Minou's tabby and white). We inherited Beth from someone who lived in a bedsit at the back of my parents' old place. He was moving out and couldn't take the cat with him, so we interited her. He got her as a grown-up cat from the RSPCA, so we don't know how old she is. She's lovely, but typically aloof.

Rick and I talked for a while about getting a dog. I've always wanted another Golden, so Georgia seemed a natural addition to the family. Rick wanted a Toller, but they're a bit harder to come by. The kids are really enjoying having a dog, and can't get over how different it is to having a cat. Mind you, they're supposed to feed and walk her, and of course we know who always ends up doing that. Anyway, it's good exercise for me, so I'm happy.

Anyway, here's a photo I've taken of Georgia. It's the first photo taken on my new camera. It's so nice to have a camera again, even if it's not yet an SLR!