By Jeannette Cummins

Oliver is the best dog ever. He’s fun, funny, and absolutely the greatest companion. 

He came to us when he was five years old. He previously lived with a family friend of ours who was no longer able to take care of him because of a sudden, severe illness. Oliver wasn’t the dog I had in mind to adopt – larger and quieter than I had envisioned — but he desperately needed a home and so we agreed to take him. Within a couple of days, I knew it was a match made in Heaven.

The great thing about adopting adult dogs is that they are over the dog equivalent of the “terrible twos.” When Oliver arrived, he was house trained and had lovely manners — he never chewed on furniture or jumped on our guests. He rarely puts a foot wrong – except with the mailman or any other person who walks down our driveway on an unauthorized basis. We did have to work with him on walks – barking at other dogs, darting in front of cars. Because he had lived in a rural area, Oliver had not been trained on a leash. But now he’s happy to get leashed up so his people don’t get lost.

My initial concern about having a quiet nature was misplaced. Dogs needing adoption are under stress and as soon as that stress is reduced, they immediately respond. As for size, when a dog is well behaved, size isn’t an issue.

There’s good reason that, throughout history, dogs have been a symbol of fidelity. As time’s gone by, we talk about dogs offering unconditional love. Either way, dogs are truly our best friends.

 Christopher and Jeannette Cummins with Oliver

Photo by Geoff Tischman