Junior Evalyn Linnert definitely lives in an animal household. When including her pets in the count, they cause her family size to double. She has two dogs and two cats, and they not only shape her life but who she is as a person.
“I have two [dogs],” Evalyn explained. “Their names are Griffin and Hatty. One is a golden retriever, and one is a rescue, so we don’t know exactly what she is, but we’re pretty sure she’s mostly border collie. I also have two cats.”
She could never imagine life without any of her pets, specifically her dogs. Her family got Griffin, the older of the two, during the summer after the COVID-19 pandemic. She had formerly been in training for PAWS with a cause, but ended up breaking her leg and had to withdraw from the program. When she went up for adoption, Evalyn and her family simply fell in love with her and ended up adopting. The golden retriever is joyful and brings even more to Evalyn.
More recently, around September, Evalyn’s family adopted Hatty. Hatty’s adoption story is slightly more heartbreaking, but the heartbreak brings more care and joy to their lives.
“She was found on the side of the road, and my neighbors were fostering her,” Evalyn described. “They texted our neighborhood and said if anyone was interested in a nice dog we’re going to put it up for adoption through the Humane Society.”
Even with Hatty’s somewhat traumatic experience, her family took in the puppy with open arms. Because of her experiences, Hatty only has three legs. The constant battle is luckily easily overcome but causes her to fall a little behind. For example, if taking her dogs for a walk, Evalyn can’t go too far with Hatty because she’ll become too tired to make it back. For the most part, though, Hatty has led a happy and contented life with the Linnerts and their other pets.
In a household with many animals, there are chances for issues; one animal may like another even if the feeling isn’t mutual. For Evalyn’s family, her cats, who are older, usually stay in a certain room to avoid too much overlap between the pets, but they can still tolerate the dogs. On the other hand, Hatty and Griffin get along great and spend a lot of time together.
“I feel like [Griffin] is definitely much happier to have a friend,” Evalyn commented. “If we’re not able to view it at the moment, she’s definitely gotten happier just because it’s so exciting to have a new family member in your life.”
The effect that Evalyn can see between the two dogs is represented in the rest of her family as well. She and her dad are the closest with the dogs, while her sister prefers her cats, but nonetheless, they all affect her life.
Simply being around the dogs makes her so much happier. No matter what she’s feeling or doing, she can return to them and be with them to lift her mood.
“I definitely am happy around them,” Evalyn explained. “I feel like it kind of sounds weird but they can sense [my feelings]. They always comfort me and are always around me. When I’m stressed, they’ll just be around me, and I’m just a lot happier.”
Sometimes, if Evalyn happens to be crying, or just overly emotional, they will appear to save the day and make her feel better with their natural presence. Even the simplest things about them can make her feel better, and she feels that it draws a deeper connection to each of them.
Even when other people come over, the pets have a similar effect. They become caught in the trance of adoring the dogs, and their moods are always able to be lifted.
Beyond just being around the dogs, doing things with them, and experiencing moments is enjoyable for Evalyn as well. During the summer, their family brings the dogs up north to their cottage in the summer to enjoy time there with them. Although they haven’t had a chance to bring Hatty up north since they got her in the fall, and they primarily go there in the summer, Griffin loves her time up there.
“With Griffin, we like to take her up north to the cottage, and she just loves to swim,” Evalyn said. “[She enjoys] just swimming, kayaking, going on paddle boards.”
Simply seeing Griffin happy reflects the same joy to Evalyn, even if it is simply swimming up north. Their joy happens to rub off on her. Overall, Evalyn doesn’t know what life would be like without any of her pets. From seeing them after school to traveling throughout the state with them, they make her life happier and more exciting.
“I think without my dogs, I wouldn’t really have much to look forward to when I get home,” Evalyn said. “I’d definitely feel more lonely.”
