I have a solid 6 weeks worth of adventures to write about, but for now, meet Ranger, the newest member of the family (pictured here).

It’s been about 3 months since we lost our beloved Howie, and the house just isn’t the same without a four-legged friend to keep us company.

He’s a ~2 year old smooth-coat border collie, and he’s so smart! He was found as a stray in Garden City, KS and was rescued from a rural Kansas shelter in mid-June. He had been fostering with a Denver family through the Western Australian Shepherd Rescue since then.

He’s incredibly obedient, almost to a fault. We have a lot of work to teach Ranger what’s okay (peeing outside) and what’s not okay (peeing on LEGOs). Tonight we had to quickly correct him from running outside, and then almost peeing on a pile of LEGO bricks…when we say “No, Ranger!” he pretty much shuts down for a few minutes, perhaps out of remorse?

He seems much more of an outdoor dog than Howie ever was; this weekend we are planning to install a doggie door on the basement sliding door so he can travel in and out as he wants. He’s old enough that it should be okay.

He was almost skin and bones when he was rescued, so he’s still on the skinny side. He should be between 40-50 lbs but probably is 35-40 right now. We will be working on his putting on weight over the next several weeks.

Because I’m now working full time (that’s for another post), we were constrained to looking for an older pet who could be home alone for longer periods of time than a puppy. This is where rescue organizations come in.

The kids think he’s great! They haven’t seen “rambunctious Howie” since they were really little, so Ranger’s energy levels will take a little getting used to.

We are grateful to the Western Australian Shepherd Rescue for giving us the opportunity to provide Ranger his “forever home”. The kids (as are Dave and I) are thrilled to have him join our family!