Jamie when he was 12 years old with Hobo. Photo contributed
When our son Jamie was 3 years old he was frightened by a large dog. Over the years, his fear of large dogs became a fear of any size dog. By the age of 9, Jamie would watch from a distance as his sister Katie hugged and played with neighborhood dogs. But even with words of encouragement, Jamie wouldn’t go near a dog.
Being dog lovers, we didn’t want our son to be afraid of dogs, so we decided to adopt from the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. Fortunately, we found a yellow lab-mix puppy at the shelter and our kids named him “Hobo.” At first, Jamie was very tentative around Hobo and would only pet him briefly on the back. But with his gentle nature, Hobo earned Jamie’s trust.
Now Hobo has his bed in Jamie’s room, and our son greets him first thing in the morning and when he comes home from school, even before greeting any family members. When we’re away on vacation, our son misses Hobo, wonders how he’s doing and can’t wait to get back home to him. We are so grateful that Hobo found his forever home with us.
Don and Audrey Curran
Burke
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