Adding a new dog to the family

Our first Westie had to be put to sleep last fall. She had cancer.

We've struggled with adding another dog to the household, knowing that our second Westie was going to 1. oppose new company and 2. is in need of new company.

So with the help of dog whisperer Robin Cuneo, we visited the Anna Shelter on East 10th Street with No. 2 dog, Asta, to check out possible friends.

Nos. 1 and 3 were certainly not going to work out.

No. 2, a male stray the shelter had named Shadow, seemed to fit. By the end of the visit, the two dogs had gone nose to nose without baring any teeth. There was some licking going on.

Shadow has gone through the names Buttercup, Butterscotch and is now Mac (for the tennis player; my husband said no male dog could go through life as a Buttercup).

We are still working through the details. But it is clear Mac knows home like and obeys basic commands, such as sit, stay and come. So someone loved him enough at some point to teach him these lessons and have him altered. He doesn't jump on people or the furniture. He hasn't had any accidents in the house.

Off leash, he is unpredictable. There's clearly some puppy still in him. He's part Lab and Huskie, so chasing the neighborhood deer and turkey are going to be an issue.

He's a welcome addition to the family.

He and Asta still have some terms to work out among them, namely he can't sleep in our bedroom. But night No. 1 in his bed in my daughter's room has worked out.