A Blended Family

Living with us in our 900 sq foot loft are our 'boys'. The Benson Brood, I like to call us. Boomer and Burl, also known as Dumb and Dumber of the dog world. I have had The Big Boom for 5 years this fall and Daren and Mr. Burl Benson have been best friends for just about 4 years.

So yes, we have a blended family and we are still shaking out some of those issues. We still usually refer to the dogs as your dog and my dog and have a consistent debate about which dog actually is actually more athletic or better behaved. Still, we love each other and have grown to love each others dogs...just maybe not quite as much as we still love our own dog. Which is what made last nights event so hilariously surprising.


I walk the dogs in the morning and the brave Daren walks the dogs at night. Last night its somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00 when he takes them out. They are never very excited about this late night walk and both sulk their way out of the door feeling frustrated that they have just been woken up. I went about my evening business of making the coffee and getting ready for bed and was in the bedroom when I heard Daren and the leashes making noise inside our front door. We made a few jokes, finished with our nightly routines, shut off the lights and laid down in our green sheeted bed. There was even a few jokes exchanged and then we both fell silent and began to drift off towards another good nights sleep.

It was 25 minutes since Daren came home with the dogs and he was already asleep. I was swaying between deep relaxation and sleep when I heard the neighbors dog barking again. Daren awoke enough to shush our own dogs and fell hard back to sleep. I listened for the dog again. Nothing. Then I began to get the feeling that something was missing. I got up and checked all of the dogs usual sleeping places with Boomer following me around the house right on my heals as usual. Finally I turned on a light...and no Burl. "Daren where's Burl?" But he was sound asleep and offered no response. I looked in the bathroom, under the bed, and even in the laundry room area but did not find Burl.

Finally I opened the front door, being sure to hide behind it since I was in the pajamas, and low and behold there is Burl! Ears down flat against his head wondering if he really has to continue to sit and stay out here much longer. I let him in and he couldn't have been more excited! Running around drinking water and bringing his toys to me. I laughed out loud, woke up Daren and shouted victoriously "You locked Burl outside!"

So it seems the line between being a blended family and just being The Benson's is blurring. If I had been asked to put money on who it would have been that Daren locked outside I would have staked my entire wallet on it being The Big Boom.

Now that is was Burl, Boomer has asked to go to the vet and change his last name.