If you don’t follow me on Instagram or Twitter, then there’s a remote possibility that you don’t know how much I love my dogs. I’m absolutely one of those people who anthropomorphizes and has full-on discussions with them on a daily basis because they are the only ones who truly understand me. We have dance parties, cuddle sessions, and study dates regularly and I love them to pieces. Now, I wasn’t always a dog person. I didn’t grow up with one (although I wanted one) and thought they were cool accessories to have around. I figured if I had one it would motivate me to start running and that I would have a built-in cuddle buddy for rainy days. While the latter is true, I never picked up running but luckily I have dogs that would rather sit around and nap than get in vigorous exercise, anyway. Below are some photos of my beloved rescues, including a little backstory on how we got them because I want to share. Oh, and there are a bunch of photos at the bottom of this post!
Oliver: Chocolate lab mix, rescued Valentine’s Day 2010. When my husband (before we were married) and I made the decision to look for a dog, we both knew that we wanted a medium-sized chocolate lab. Aside from the fact that purebred chocolate labs are prone to a host of problems, we also knew that we wanted to rescue one and that we didn’t want a puppy because we were new to the dog-raising thing. I saw Oliver’s photo in a magazine for local, adoptable pets and called to make an appointment to see him immediately. On the way there, Jack and I saw a rainbow, which was a sign to me that things would turn out okay. Our first meeting with Oliver was a little awkward because he was a few hours post-neutering and he was highly drugged. Even so, he had an adorable face and sweet demeanor. On the way home, I decided I wanted him and Jack was hesitant, thinking we should wait until we met him without being drugged up. Fortunately, the sign of the rainbow prevailed and we called back to say we wanted him, which was good because he was highly sought after but we had first dibs. After an awkward home visit and a lot of paperwork, we were able to pick up our adorable Oliver on Valentine’s Day, meaning I got chocolate for the holiday. He peed on everything, had no idea what to do with a dog toy, and was so quiet we didn’t think he had a voice box, but he soon came into his own. He wasn’t a big fan of my little sports car and I soon upgraded to an SUV, but all-in-all I won out. Today, Oliver is 7, a big fan of naps and giving me “judgment” eyes when I do something that he disapproves of, but he’s a great cuddler and has figured out how to bark. A lot.
Penny: Terrier/Bulldog/Corgi mix, rescued January 2011. Two weeks after I had open-hip surgery, I read about the local animal shelter having to get rid of all of their dogs. They had septic issues (that they were noncompliant with) and were being forced to shut down temporarily to fix it. Unfortunately, this meant that all of the animals had to be moved offsite, requiring a massive effort to adopt out or foster the animals remaining. I called up a friend of mine from work and had him take me and Oliver down to the shelter. I hobbled out on my crutches and found this adorable, white dog with a patch over her eye. She was scrawny with big brown eyes and was the only dog on the block that wasn’t jumping and barking. I knew that I wanted her, introduced her to Oliver, and took her home. Then, I called Jack to tell him what I had done and upon meeting her, we both knew she’s be a foster failure. Penny turned out to cost a pretty one, having a multitude of infections when we got her, but as she got healthier we realized that she was not the sweet, docile dog that we thought she was. Turns out, she’s not a fan of other dogs (except Oliver, who she was likely too sick to dislike and learned to love him), can jump 6 feet in the air, and loves to hear her own voice. Oh, and she taught Oliver how to bark, which is just lovely. But, she’s freakishly adorable, enjoys dance parties, and loves to cuddle like a human with her head on the pillow, so we manage to forgive her transgressions. Today, she is a 5, very active, and my constant companion.
Do you have a dog story to share?
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