Not a goodbye, instead, I'll see you later

Indy is a wonderful dog for the kids. He's incredibly mellow and seems to enjoy being an oversized pillow for the kids. During the day we've had to kennel him because he'd chew around the house. He's since outgrown that puppy phase, so we allowed him in the basement when we're not home. Then came Belle. She hated the kennel. After trying a few things, we ended up realizing that Indy soothes Belle. When we are not home, the two kennel-up together.

During the fall we picked up a 6'x12' outdoor kennel. Perfect option we thought. Until one day we came home to find the dogs out of their kennel. It didn't take long to determine the escape artist was Indy. He pulled the fencing apart so his head could stick out. He would move the kennel off the pad, which would allow the door to swing open easily, and eventually, he became so talented, he could open the door with a quick jerk of the neck. Nick built a nice insulated dog house hoping that would calm Indy. The panel with the door was flipped around so the pre-cut hole now lined up with the dog house and his last hole was now 5' off the ground. After one eight hour stretch while we were at work, Indy pulled the fence apart enough to make a hole big enough for all three of them to escape.

Grandma Lorraine has been looking for a dog to keep her company since Pups passed away not too long ago. Their first attempt was a failure. The dog bit Grandma and one of her caretakers. On Thanksgiving, Nick mentioned to his mom that maybe Grandma would want Indy as a companion. Today, Linda stopped by to pick up Indy. Wait, what? We only asked Seth once what his thoughts were around having to find Indy a new home. His response at that time was "If we have to, then okay." I wasn't ready for this decision to be finalized, nor did I feel Seth was given enough time to really think about what this meant. I was taken back that this was happening so quick after being just a brief two minute conversation with Seth.

I asked Seth if it was okay for Indy to go live with Grandma Lorraine at her farm. Amazingly, Seth was completely okay. Not a tear, not a fight, just a big boy saying it would be okay. "As long as I get to see him all the time." At 11:30am, Indy rode off to his new trial home. At 5:00pm we pulled up to the farm and visited Indy. It was like he was at home. He stretched out under the table and enjoyed the warmth of the home. With the number of caretakers that Grandma has, he will have to earn his right to stay. No forms of aggression. Although we heard he growled at one of Nick's aunts, we don't know what exactly happened. It's unheard of for him to show any signs of aggression. The closest is that he stands a few yards off the sidewalk and barks at people walking by.

I'm not sure who was more saddened today. Seth, or myself. We have had Indy since he was a puppy. He became Seth 's dog within a year. Slept at the foot of the bed and all-in-all has been a great dog for Seth.