22 Oct 2017 ‘Dogs make our house a home’

Story and photos
by Callie Sterling

Between producing newscasts for KARK Channel 4, Allie Martin has cast herself as “mom” to three fur-babies. Along with her husband, Eric Martin, she has a home in North Little Rock filled with three energetic dogs by the names of Trigger, Harley and Sydney. 

“Trigger is around 8 years old, and we have had him for six years,” Allie said. “We aren’t positive what his breed is exactly. Harley and Sydney are both Australian cattle dogs. Harley is 3 years old, and Sydney is 10 months.” 

The Martins found Sydney and Harley through a breeder, but Trigger found the Martins himself. 

“Trigger’s story is one from a book,” Allie said. 

A duck hunting trip ended with an additional family member joining the Martins, and the couple has not looked back since. 

“Eric was borrowing a friend’s boat in Hensley when he went to pick it up around 3 in the morning,” Allie said. “He left his truck doors open while he loaded everything up. He headed down the road after he got everything packed up, and to his surprise, he heard something moving in the backseat. He pulled over to check out what the noise was coming from, and it was a dog! Trigger was bloody, covered in huge ticks and very hungry. One of his front paws was cut open so deeply that his bone was exposed.” 

The Martins planned to care for Trigger for only a short time, but they fell in love and could not let him go. “We planned to care for him through the rest of the weekend before taking him to the shelter that following Monday, but we never did,” Allie said. 

Each of the Martin dogs has a unique personality, balancing one another out to create a perfect dynamic amongst the three.  

The Martins describe Trigger as the lover of the group. “Trigger is very cuddly and lovey,” Allie said. “He just wants to sit next to you and have you pet him. He doesn’t like squirrels or rabbits, so when he sees them he goes nuts.” 

Harley is the guardian of the trio, always concerned for her human parents. “Harley is our protector,” Allie said. “She is always right next to you and wants to make sure you are OK at all times. We joke that we should have named her Velcro.”  

Sydney is the most energetic of the three, always ready to pounce and play. “Sydney is our wild child,” Allie said. “She is always running around, wiggling and trying to wrestle with the other dogs.” 

The family of five enjoys staying active and hiking as a group. “We love to take all three of the dogs hiking,” Eric said. “They love to climb Sugar Loaf Mountain, Mount Magazine and Petit Jean.”

Although being a pet owner is incredible a majority of the time, the Martins do admit one particular struggle. “The hardest part of being a pet owner is when I am gone on a trip and I have to leave them with someone else,” Allie said. “I miss them and I feel so bad leaving them.”  

The love that the Martins have for Harley, Sydney and Trigger outweighs any other negative aspects of owning a pet — even the dog hair.

“Our dogs make our house a home,” Eric said. “If there wasn’t dog fur everywhere, I don’t think it would be the same.”

The Martins both agree that the unconditional love that the dogs provide is one of a kind.  

“My favorite thing about being a pet owner is the love the dogs give me,” Allie said. “They are always happy and turn my worst days into my best days. They give me more of a purpose to be the best I can be.”