Waylon & Dalton

Meet Waylon

Waylon was born in July 2019 and joined our family when he was twelve weeks old. He is half Labrador, one-quarter Mastiff, and one-quarter Bulldog. He came from a local family whose dog had a litter of twelve puppies.

We were not looking for a dog when Alan first saw him. Alan stopped while I was away taking my daughter on a college tour, and one puppy immediately picked him out. We all went back later, and when the same puppy chose Alan again, the decision had already been made.

Because we had not planned on bringing home a dog, we did not have a name ready. After making our way through a list of country singers, we landed on Waylon.

Waylon is anxious, outspoken, protective, and the wiser of the two. On the podcast, he is usually the one trying to explain what is happening, keep everyone on track, or help Dalton understand the situation. He takes his responsibilities as an older brother and official keeper of the smiles very seriously.

Meet Dalton

Dalton was born in Texas in July 2023. He is a full-blooded English black Labrador with roots in Ukraine and the United States. His grandfather comes from Hyspire, a well-known Labrador line in the AKC world.

I did not want another dog, but Alan found a Facebook post from a breeder who was traveling to Vermont with three puppies that still needed homes. We chose one before going to meet them, but Dalton had a different plan.

When we arrived, Dalton walked over to me and tucked his head against me while the other puppies ate. Alan said, “He is your dog.” I reminded him that Dalton was not the puppy we had chosen. Alan reminded me that we do not pick our dogs. They pick us.

Dalton’s name had already been chosen after Patrick Swayze’s character in Road House. He came home with us that day and has been by my side ever since.

Dalton is our sweet, calm, cool, and collected little brother. Very little upsets him. On the podcast, he is curious, literal, and usually ready with the question Waylon was hoping he would not ask.