Burtonia has become and canine senior centre of sorts. You know a Burton you know we love dogs. Especially the two ridiculous mutts that live full time in Burtonia.
Allison's dog: a fourteen year old chorkie and Mike's dog: a eleven year old super wiener-terrier. The chorkie has been with us for our entire Burton adventure. He came along just a few weeks after Mike did. All three of us started our life together in a second storey walk up apartment downtown. He watched Burton & Burton fall in love, decide what to do when we grew up and complete our post secondary educations. He is the greatest boyfriend a girl could have. Always at my side. Good as gold.
The wiener-terrier was an impulse buy. We drove to farm in Stratford determined to get a wiener / something puppy. In a barn stall there were a pile of the strangest looking dogs I've ever seen. Of course we selected the craziest to call our own. Due to an aversion to going home empty handed, he resides in Burtonia. Live and learn. In his decade he has consumed: coats, boots and shoes (leather preferred), my underpants, a toad, a wide variety of stolen human food and garbage, two mice and a few things that are truly to disgusting to list. He finally learned to "go" outside at age four. One year later than what I understand to be the average age for toddler potty training.
We can barely remember a time that they weren't both underfoot and warming hearts. I can't believe they won't be here forever. The trials of raising a young dog are long gone and replaced with efforts to keep them comfortable and healthy.
One has some mystery lumps, the other not as many teeth as he used to. They both have arthritis and are gray in the face. Every day is a gift. AB
