The dogs in my life

It's been a glorious few days here, weather-wise after an unseasonably wet and cold summer.  All three kids are here with me for the rest of the week which is a fairly unusual occurrence.  But typical of my 'emptying nest', sometimes I don't see a great deal of them over the course of the day even when they're here.

All have summer jobs and two of the kids own their own cars, so they're extremely independent and will often sleep over at my wife's house in town or at a friend's house.  We much prefer they stay where they are rather than risk returning home late at night.

In particular, my son spends much time at his friend's cottage on an offshore island and it could be risky for him to drive the boat across the channel late at night.   Strong winds can whip up meters-high waves in minutes.

All of this (partial) solitude just reinforces my resolve to find some more friends or acquaintances and to make more of an effort with the few that I already have.    My social life can no longer just revolve around my children.  I'm still turning down multiple hookup offers on squirt.org  because since my return from DC, I'm just not interested in the guys who are messaging me!

My son's dog, Dexter, is nearly two years old.  We think he's a
border collie cross but don't know for sure since he came from
the dog pound.  A sweetie!

My former wife is away for a week visiting family so the kids are looking after her little dog in addition to our three dogs who already live here.   Which really means that I am looking after her dog since the kids are not here most of the time.  

This is not a problem;  she's a sweet little dog who only stops yapping when she is sitting on your lap .... which is all the time.

So... here are the dogs in my life:

This is my little doggie, Toby, who lives with me full time.  He's eight years
old and his grandparents include poodle, bichon, Chihuahua and Scottish
 terrier, among other breeds.

 

 My ex-wife's little dog who is also came from the dog pound and is of unknown age and parentage.   She's probably a 3 - 4 year old Maltese.

This is my eldest daughter's dog who is 8 years old.  Although they look nothing alike,  he is a brother to my dog, Toby, from the same litter.