Kind of the Last Foster Care Update

Wow. It’s been a while since I wrote. A lot has happened, and that’s been part of the problem. After my last blog post, I went and worked in Idaho until the second week of September. We weren’t sure if I should go work in Idaho this year, because we were waiting to hear from the foster care people, but after praying about it, both Grig and I received the answer, “Keep going and see what happens.” So, Kevin and I left Grig behind and went to work in Idaho.

Weeks passed and we didn’t hear anything. Then, on August 19, I drove my mom and younger brother to the airport to go and visit my sister who was about to have twins in Florida. I stayed in Utah for that entire week, and hoped and prayed that we would hear from the foster care people while I was home. 

It was a really good week to be home anyway. For one thing, Siff was in heat again, so it was nice that she wasn’t outside all day. For another, the foster care lady finally contacted us again and met with us on that Friday, the day before I was supposed to head back to Idaho.

It wasn’t good news. She told us that based upon Grig’s mental health evaluation (that he was asked to have because of trauma in his childhood), that they were going to deny our application. The frustrating thing is that no one will tell us what was the deciding factor during the mental health evaluation. The doctor told Grig that he’d have to ask the foster people, and the foster care people told us that the doctor would have to discuss it with us. So, we’re still a bit in the dark and it's been over a month since we received this news.

That was a pretty hard news to take. I was disappointed, but I knew I couldn’t let myself be too disappointed for Grig’s sake. I knew he already was blaming himself, and if I broke down about it, it would make his guilt worse. Besides, I married Grig, and he comes before everything. I wouldn’t change him, and I’m grateful for who he is. He is a wonderful father and husband, and I mostly feel bad because I know we could supply a safe haven to troubled children, and we're not going to be able to help.

However, I also know the Lord has a plan, but sometimes it’s hard to be patient and have faith. I’m sort of confused about some of the things that happened that made it seem like foster care was going to work out, like the cribs and extra beds that we were given.

We were told that we either need to withdraw our application or appeal the decision, but until we get the report from the doctor, we don’t know which course to take. We still haven’t been able to get a solid word from anyone.

Sometimes I get really sad, because I thought this was going to be the answer to our quest for a larger family, and the emptiness of a solo voice in our home occasionally breaks my heart. I am SO grateful for Kevin, but I also ache for him. He’ll never know what it’s like to have a close sibling and to grow up with a best friend near his same age. Sometimes, going home to visit my family hurts, because the memories come, and I know that Kevin will never have the childhood that I had; the childhood that I want for him.

At least he has the dogs, and they love him.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s my fault, if God doesn’t trust me with any more of his children because I’m botching it as a mother. I know that's probably not the reason, but I can't help the little voice that occasionally whispers critical words to me.

This current trial reminds me of two experiences that when I think of them bring me a lot of hope.

One was on the mission I served for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Right after my trainer left me, I began training new Sister missionaries. I trained two new Sisters, and I thought that was my calling on the mission. I loved being a trainer. It helped me be a better missionary, because I had to be a good example for those I was training.

Then, after my second trainee, I was transferred to a new Sister, who had been in the mission basically as long as I had. I thought that I was being punished because I had been a bad trainer and the Lord no longer trusted me. For the first week with my new companion, I kept going over my time and wondering what I had done wrong. I felt awful, and I beat myself up about it.

However, that Sister became one of my best friends in the whole world. I am so grateful the Lord let me have the time that I did with her and didn’t give me what I thought I wanted. She changed my life, and the Lord knew exactly what I needed.

The other experience is more recent. Two years ago, after Dakota our older dog died, we found a Norwegian Elkhound puppy for sale. It was expensive, but it was the breed that Grig had always wanted us to get. We prayed about whether we should buy it, and we received a very conditional answer that if Grig got a raise at work, that we should get the puppy.

Well, time went on, and the puppy approached the age where it could leave its mother. However, Grig hadn't gotten the raise. Things kept happening that made us positive that we were getting a puppy, but we kept waiting on the raise. Finally, on a Saturday after the puppy was over 8 weeks, we told the kid who owned the pup that we would meet with him the next Monday. That Sunday, he sold the pup to someone else.

We were heartbroken. We had felt so strongly that we were supposed to get this puppy, and we couldn’t believe that we had lost it.

However, as I left the church that night, I thought, the Lord made us a promise, and he doesn’t break his promises. If this puppy is gone, He will provide another one for us.

The next morning, I looked online and was thrilled to discover that someone had just posted another litter of elkhound puppies. They were from a more reputable breeder and were far less expensive than the puppy we had initially been trying to get.

Grig got his raise, we got Siff, and I couldn’t be happier. She is an amazing dog. We wouldn’t trade her for anything.

So, even though I’m not sure how this journey is going to end, I had faith that the Lord has a plan that will be better for us. The feeling that I keep getting is that something big is coming that is going to be amazing. I just have to wait for it. So, I’m trying to have faith, patience, and trust, and find joy in the miracles that I have been given.

First Camping 2017

This weekend was really fun. Friday night, we went camping. I was feeling kind of down and non-energetic that whole day, but I made myself get packed. Havelock and Allopex drove out with us to have game night with Grig around the campfire. It was really fun. We got the tent set up and then Grig started the fire while I went back into town to get a few more things that we needed.

After I got back, we ate hot dogs over the fire while our cherry cobbler cooked. Then, while Grig played D&D with his brothers, Kevin and I explored around the lake. We went on two different walks. The first time, we took Siff, who was an excellent camping dog. I was so proud of her. We only tied her up at night while we slept. The rest of the time, she stayed right with us (unless Arkhon wandered off, and then she followed him).

She would walk ahead of us on the trail, and then stop and wait for us to catch up. She was pretty great.

Then, on the next trip, we gave Arkhon a chance to walk with us. He wandered a bit more, but he never ran off. I just had to call him back a lot more. The coolest thing happened when we were walking back to the campsite. Arkhon, who was walking ahead of us, suddenly stopped and stared down the dirt bank into a field to our left. He completely froze, his eyes intent, and his ears pricked up.

I said, “What do you see, bud? Do you see something?”

He didn’t move. I told him to “Hold” and put my hand on his back, as I did, his front right leg slowly pulled up into a perfect point. I wish I'd had my camera at that point. It was awesome!

Arkhon has never pointed before. I praised him, patted his back some more and then told him to leave it. He did, and we continued on our journey.

We got home, and ate some cobbler. It turned out pretty awesome. It was a nice way to use some frozen cherries from our tree last year.

A little while after, I put Kevin to bed. He didn’t want to go to sleep while his dad and uncles were talking outside of the tent, so I laid down with him. I wanted to fall asleep with him, but I was too cold. He had nice warm pajamas and a blanket, but I had forgotten to bring my sweater. So, after Kevin fell asleep, I went back out and sat by the fire until the brothers left, and then Grig and I talked for a while and went to bed.

I didn’t sleep very well. Grig and Kevin seemed plenty warm, but I was freezing. A while later, Kevin woke up and rolled over to his dad. They both cuddled up together, so I took the sleeping bag that Kevin had been laying on and closed it, with me inside. I finally warmed up enough to go to sleep, but then some teenagers at a nearby campsite began to be really loud and set the dogs off.

Despite the occasional barking, I have found that I love camping with dogs. When I was younger, I liked camping, but if I woke up during the middle of the night I would have a hard time going back to sleep because I'd start listening too closely to the night life. I'd freak myself out and worry about being eaten by bears.

With dogs though, as long as they're not riled, you know that you are safe.

The next day I woke up around 7:30, only to find that Grig already had the fire going and breakfast mostly made. He’s pretty awesome. We ate and I sat by the fire to finish warming up. Grig decided to pick up all the garbage that had been left by previous campers. Did I mention that he’s awesome?

Then, we put on shorts and went wading in the water around the lake. It snowed and rained so much this year, that the reservoir was overflowing. We had to wade about a quarter mile to get near enough to the edge of the lake to where we camped last time. It was awesome and Kevin loved it.

The dogs had a great time too. The water was surprisingly warm. I wanted to swim, but I wasn’t dressed for it. Arkhon was a fantastic swimmer though, and Siff got more comfortable with it as we went, though she didn’t like it when she couldn’t touch the bottom.

Eventually, Kevin got cold and hungry, so we went back and had sandwiches. After that, everyone was about ready to go home, but Grig wanted to see if he could catch a frog first, so we drove over to one of the more boggy areas around the lake and he went out exploring for a while.

Kevin was tired and didn’t want to leave the car, so I stayed with him and the dogs while Grig explored. Grig didn’t end up catching a frog, but he had a good time.

We came home and took turns taking naps because we wore ourselves out.

Drawings of Our Family

Kevin went to stay with his great grandparents' yesterday while Grig and I went to the temple.

It was really nice, and Kevin was pretty cute when we returned to pick him up. He had been very well-behaved, and he was excited to show us some pictures that he had drawn.

Here is the first picture. I was pretty impressed. It looked like it had been drawn by a much older child.

I looked at the animal on the bottom, and I said, "Kevin, did you draw that? That is a fantastic pig!"

Kevin was a little offended and told me, "That's Siff!"

Of course. What was I thinking? It looks just like her. 

(Grig told me he would have guessed it was a pig too.) Kevin was so proud. It really is an awesome picture. Then, he showed us the next picture. 

I labeled this one based upon his explanation. I let him tell me what this picture was before I made any assumptions. See? I learn from my mistakes. 

It's such a good family picture. Our little guy is becoming quite the artist. 

Three Dogs and Easter

Starting on the 19th of March, we had Arkhon's brother here for a week. I was a bit worried about what it was going to be like having three dogs in the house, but it went much better than expected. The first day, Allopex was outside watching them play. He said that when Loki (Arkhon's brother) started to get rough with Siff, Arkhon would get between them. There was nothing aggressive about it, but he would just quietly tell his brother to back off.

 He sure is a good boy.

However, by the end of the first day, they were getting along really well. Loki enjoyed his time here, I think, though he did have a couple of accidents. The ironic thing is that he had more accidents than the puppy did. She seems to be completely house-trained. We've trained her to bark when she needs to go outside, and in the last week, she hasn't had a single accident. Instead she barks at the door and waits for us to open it.

Even though they were all really good, having three of them around did stress me out a little bit more than normal, so I was a bit relieved when Loki left after a week. It was nice to only have two dogs again. 

 We had a great Easter weekend. Somehow, the holiday came up on me unexpectedly. I wasn't nearly as prepared for it this year as much as I would have liked to have been. We're trying to start a tradition where we focus on Christ every day of Easter week and what happened that day during his final week. However, this year we weren't prepared, so we just did minimal celebrating. We tried to maintain a good focus on Christ nonetheless.

On Saturday, we did the local Bunny Chase (where they release some rabbits and the kids that catch them get to take them home) and Easter egg hunt. Kevin didn't catch a rabbit, which we were pretty grateful about since we're leaving on vacation soon and didn't want another brand new pet.

He was a little bit sad, but we weren't too upset. I tried again as well, but my feet have been injured recently, so I couldn't run as fast. 

Siff is doing so well! She gets along great with everyone and is so adorable that we attract a lot of attention when we take her out. It's a lot of fun!

Her main issue at the moment is, now that we've taught her to speak, we're teaching her to stop speaking when we ask her to. That's harder for her to learn. 

It was fun to have Loki for company, but I don't think we're ever going to have more than two dogs. +

He can come and stay anytime though. 

Daylight Savings and Primary

For my entire life, I've loved Daylight Savings in the fall, but hated it in the spring. In the fall, it meant we got to sleep in an extra hour, but in the spring it meant I had to wake up earlier.

Weirdly, for the first time ever, I'm enjoying it today.

Kevin usually wakes up about 7:00 a.m. or earlier. That means that if I don't get right to work, I don't have any time to write or blog. However, 7:00 is now 8:00. That means that if he gets up at the regular time today, I will have a whole extra hour to get things done.

Happiness!

That doesn't mean that I like getting up an hour earlier, but I am excited for the extra hour it gives me.

In the same way, I had a hard time in fall because even though I was supposed to get an extra hour of sleep, it didn't happen because my son kept getting up at the same time anyway.

This time the transition hasn't been so bad.

Yesterday, church was kind of exciting. Currently, I am the primary chorister, which means I teach the kids music. We have a junior primary (for kids ages 3-7) and a senior primary (for ages 8-11). Yesterday, the junior primary was pretty...crazy.

Usually, I don't have hard time engaging them, and it's pretty easy to teach them music. However, yesterday, it took nearly the whole time to get them singing, and if I was talking, I didn't get any attention at all. I was very grateful for the activity that I was inspired to plan.

I drew a thermometer on the board and told them that every time they sang better, we would go up a degree, and if they sang really well, we'd blow the top off of our thermometer. I had to teach them the song first though, and that was when they were not really listening. However, after we ran through it and started singing, they really began to do their best. Even my little sunbeams (the three-year-olds) were singing their hearts out.

My son is in that group, and I'm never sure what to do. I don't know what kind of parent-teacher I am yet. I don't know if I focus on him the most, or if I ignore him, or if I treat him like every other kid. It's a hard balance to find. I don't want to ignore him, but I don't want to give him special treatment either. So, I try and call on him occasionally.

I really love my son.

Oh! The other exciting event that happened at church was during senior primary. We were learning the song, and some of the kids started shouting, "Spider! Spider!" I looked, and a small spider was descending from the ceiling toward one of the teacher's hair. I quickly moved over, grabbed the web at a higher point, and took the dangling spider over by the trash can. I tried to calm down the excited children by telling them that it was a "good spider" and they didn't need to worry about it. They did calm down pretty quickly, and soon they were singing again.

I love primary.

The puppy is doing okay with daylight savings too. She doesn't know the difference really. Things are going well with her. She's super smart and is picking things up pretty quickly. She can already sit and she's learning to speak. Once she can bark on command, I'm going to teach her how to bark when she wants to go outside. Then, hopefully, potty training will go faster. She doesn't have very many accidents, but they do happen occasionally.

The thing we're struggling with now, is trying to help her bond to us more than she bonds to Arkhon. To that end, we've been trying to have time with the puppy when Arkhon is removed from the situation. It's kind of crazy how much better she listens when he's not around. However, we want her to listen when he is around too, so I'm going to be trying some new things this week. We'll see how they go.

I love my dogs.

Kevin really likes having two dogs. Friday, when he and I were out walking, he turned to me and said, "We have two dogs, Mom!" He was pretty excited about it.

I am too.

Arkhon the Big Brother

It's hard to believe Arkhon is only a year and a half old. It seems like we've had him so much longer.

Arkhon is a really well trained dog. He comes when he's called, he stays for long periods of time, he barks at strangers but quiets down when told, he's calm in the house, and he doesn't escape from the yard. Really, he has very few foibles.

He still gets excited when people ring our doorbell, but other than that, I have few complaints.

That's been one of the great things about having him as a role-model for the puppy. It's interesting to watch Siff and Arkhon together. Arkhon will do something, and Siff will cock her little head at him. You can see the gears in her mind working. He'll sniff something, so she'll sniff it. He'll bark at something, and she'll look really confused, as if she's thinking, "What's he up to now?"

Siff loves her new stuffed animal.

He's so gentle with her, usually. Sometimes he gets a little excited when they're outside and he jumps at her from the deck. He doesn't land on her, he just likes pouncing from the sky. However, when they're playing, he will roll on his back and let her chew on him. It's helped get out all of her puppy biting energy so that she's been really gentle with Kevin and the rest of us.

He also helped teach her to go up and down stairs. When she first came, she had trouble going down the deck to the backyard. He would encourage her by showing her over and over how to do it. After only a couple days she was going down on her own, and the next day she was coming back up. He was really excited for her, and accidentally knocked her back down a step in his enthusiasm. It didn't deter her though. She now climbs stairs like a pro.

Arkhon is, like a typical older brother, a little bit of a tease sometimes. He loves to grab her by her collar and pull her around or push her onto her back. She gets really mad about it, and with indignant puppy barks tries to get him back. He's practically laughing as he runs away.

It's been really fun to watch how happy the puppy has made him, and the rest of us. She's doted upon, but we still are giving Arkhon a lot of attention.

However, dynamics are still changing. Both Kevin and Arkhon seem to feel that they're not getting enough attention anymore. Even though I'm trying to give them plenty, Kevin and Arkhon have really been in my face the last few days. Even if Arkhon is being petted by someone else, if the puppy is getting attention, he wants to leave the person petting him and get in between the puppy and whomever she is playing with. We usually push him gently back or call him back to show him that this isn't okay. It's all right to take turns.

Kevin loves to pick Siff up. He loves to play with her and he loves it when she chases him around the house. However, he's been feeling neglected too, evidently. Sometimes, over the last few days, he's been unusually disobedient and spastic. He accidentally kicked the puppy in the jaw one time, and yesterday he jumped on my back when I was laying on the floor. That hurt.

He LOVES his new puppy.

My mother told me that every time you bring a new baby home, that the older siblings have to adjust to that, and it can take a while. Even though she isn't a human baby, we're having a similar experience.

Kevin and Arkhon love Siff, as does everyone else. She's sleeping from 10-5 a.m., which is usually when we're sleeping, so it's been working really well. I've been surprised that she isn't waking up more during the night. The trade-off is that she isn't really tired at 5 a.m., so she gets mad when we won't let her get up yet. However, she will eventually go back to sleep.

They love to play!

It's been a little stressful to have a new puppy, but it's been really great too. One of the hard things about having a new puppy, that I think a lot of people don't realize, is that for the first few months, you cannot take your mind off the puppy while she's out of the crate. That's why crate training is so nice. It's supposed to be a pleasant place for the puppy; a place where she can feel safe. Our puppy eats and sleeps in her kennel and she has things to chew on while she's in there. She very rarely whines (unless she needs to urinate or defecate) and she will walk in there on her own. When she is getting tired, but the other two want her to keep playing, I'll remove her and let her go sleep in her kennel. Arkhon and Kevin are learning to leave her alone when she is in there.

However, when she's free in the house, I have to be paying attention all the time. Our house is pretty puppy proof, and she's learning our boundaries, but she is also exploring the world. All it takes is one second and she's chewing on a power cord, or having an accident on the carpet. It is nice to have a backyard so she can go play with Arkhon without me being out there all the time. It's a really nice break where she can get out a lot of energy too.

The potty-training is going pretty well, though we average about one accident a day. That's alright, we were expecting that.

I wouldn't recommend getting a second dog if your first dog has behavior issues. Get the issues fixed first, and then get a second one. Don't expect the second dog to fix the problems.

When I was younger, we had a lab mix who liked to run away. She grew up on a farm, and so when she came to live with us, she just wanted to wander, and she was REALLY good at escaping. One of the reasons my parents let us get Dakota was because they thought it would help Meg to have a companion. In some ways it did, and Dakota was wonderful. However, Meg also taught her how to escape and run away.

Even when Dakota was 15 years old and could barely walk, she  would break out of our yard and stumble her way around to the front door. We would hear the sound of her panting through the front window. She also destroyed our wire fold-up crate the one time we put her in there (which is why we got another plastic crate for the puppy). I'm grateful that Arkhon didn't learn those bad habits.

Right now, the habits that Arkhon is teaching her are wonderful. When we whistle for him to come inside, he immediately comes running. So, Siff is also learning to come when we whistle. She is also learning to sit, and doing very well at it. She's an intelligent little pup.

It's been really fun to have a new creature in our lives. I think she likes being here too. She seems awfully happy.

Three Blessings

Yesterday might have been a really difficult day for me.

I once again found out that I wasn't pregnant, and the familiar pain began to descend upon me. However, I've been trying harder to accept God's will, and I had asked him that if I wasn't pregnant, that he would send me peace. He sent me more than that.

Some of my favorite pictures I've taken of Siff

The first blessing that we received is our new puppy on Saturday. It is so nice to have a baby around. Siff still sleeps most of the day, and is super cuddly when she's tired. She so adorable and soft. She's a lot of fun to play with. Everyone loves her and she's doing really well with potty training.

She's so cute!

Look at that widdle face!

The second blessing took a huge worry off my shoulders.

We've been planning a trip to visit Grig's parents, and our previous plans for who was going to watch our dogs fell through (through no fault of their own). I had been thinking and praying a lot about what we should do while we are gone. I had felt that things were going to work out, but I just didn't know how. Then, yesterday, my sister called and offered to take them. She lives in Idaho, so normally that wouldn't work out, except that my parents happen to be coming to visit the day before we leave. My mom agreed to take the dogs home with her so my sister could watch them.

It's nice to know they'll be in good hands. 

Best friends

This is a nice shot of Arkhon

That was a such a miracle for me, and I'm really grateful to my family for how wonderful they are.

The third blessing was a friend who called to ask me to watch her kids. It was nice to have so many things to take my mind off of my disappointment.

Between babysitting, Siff, Kevin, and Arkhon, I had plenty to keep me busy. It turned out to be a pretty nice, if not very productive, day.

Kevin LOVES to pick up his puppy. 

Arkhon was feeling neglected because he had to share attention. So he came and planted his head on top of mine. It was pretty funny.

I'm grateful that I received such great blessings yesterday. Heavenly Father is very kind to me and my family. I'm grateful for our new pup, and such wonderful friends and family.

Brand New Puppy!

Friday night, we drove down to Idaho and stayed with my parents.

Saturday afternoon, we drove to the puppy breeder and picked up our puppy!

My parents came with us, to see the puppy and take some pictures. As we walked into the house, she was sitting on the couch with a red bandanna around her neck. She looked absolutely adorable, and as Kevin entered, she became very excited.

We were the last family to pick up our puppy, and the other puppies had all been gone for a week. The breeders asked us if we had changed our mind, because they had gotten kind of attached to her, and informed us that, in their opinion, she was the very best of the female puppies.

That made us pretty happy, and we assured them that we hadn't changed our minds. The woman was especially sad to see her go, I think. She showed no shyness at all, and greeted Kevin with exuberant kisses. He immediately loved her.

She's a Norwegian elkhound. Grig's first dog was part Norwegian elkhound, and they later had a purebred one. We've been looking for one for a while, and are so grateful that we were able to find one. We really liked the breeders too. They seemed very responsible to us.

 My dad was kind and took the first three pictures (since in my excitement to rush in to see the puppy I had neglected to remove my camera from the car). We got the pup's vaccination record and some of its current brand of puppy food, and after visiting for a few minutes, left with our newest family member in tow.

She's adorable. She just turned eight weeks old.

Here's all of us!

Grig rode in the back with Kevin and the new puppy to help her stay in the box. We were worried she would be like Arkhon and get sick or nervous on the way home. She panted a bit, but after a few minutes, she laid down and went right to sleep. She slept most of the way home, and we only had to stop once to let her out for a restroom break. 

 We named her Siff. We'd been looking into Norwegian mythology, which naturally led us to Vikings and their gods. After looking through Norse female names, we found a couple we liked, but the name Sif (the wife of Thor) really stood out to us. We added an extra 'f' for personal reasons. I think it's super cute, and its seems to fit her. Allopex (Grig's brother) calls her our "Asgardian princess." It's nice to finally have another girl in the house again. We're still outnumbered, but at least I'm not alone anymore.

After a bit of a drive, we got home and I took her into the backyard to relieve herself. Then, we brought Arkhon out, who was a little bit overly energetic because he hadn't seen us in two days. Despite this, he and Siff got along great! Almost immediately, after she stopped being overwhelmed by his torpedo-like speed, they became the best of friends.

 Siff was a little stinky, so after we all played outside for a minute, we took her into the bathroom and gave her a bath. She wasn't a big fan, but she relaxed fairly quickly. She shivered after we took her out and we got her dry as quickly as possible.

 Arkhon is ecstatic. He loves having a new playmate. The stairs down from our deck were a little hard for her at first (expect some video of that), but Arkhon tried really hard to show her how. By the end of her second day, she was making it down the deck just fine. She still has trouble coming back up, but he's trying to help her with that too.

 This expression happened after I made my elephant imitation. She didn't run away, just cocked her head back and forth, trying to figure out what the noise was. She's not jumpy at all. She can be cautious, but she isn't frightened. She becomes curious instead. We really like that about her.

 She loves Arkhon. They play and play and play. Arkhon is super gentle with her. as long as he is aware she's around. He's occasionally knocked her over on accident, but she recovers quickly.

This is Kevin's favorite thing to do. He loves to pick her up. We have to limit it actually, because we want her to be able to walk around to. I think he loves feeling strong. She's very gentle with Kevin and very rarely bites him. I've always owned border collie crosses, and so it's nice to have a less-nippy puppy. She still explores with her mouth, but she doesn't want to bite his heels when she's chasing him. It fun to have a different set of instincts to work with.

So far, she's had a couple of accidents, but she's doing really well! Her crate training is going awesome, and last night, she only got up a couple of times.

We're pretty happy with her. She seems to be perfect for our family. We're trying to enjoy every moment her her puppy-hood, because with any luck, we won't have another puppy for the next 12-15+ years. We decided at the beginning of our marriage that two dogs was as many as we'd ever have. So, we're hoping Arkhon and Siff stay around for a long, long time.