A close friend lost her sweet pup this past week and it got me thinking about how short the lives of our four legged family members are. Our own pups are getting older and the thought of losing one of them makes my heart ache. I can’t imagine how different our world will be without our loving, doting pups in it. So, I thought I would share a little about each of our four-legged babies so we can always have this memory of who they are and how special and precious they are to us.
Bailey:
Bailey is our nine year old Sheltie. He is such an old man…he always gives me these “looks” when I try to get him to do something. He basically looks at me like he thinks I’m a crazy person.
He doesn’t like to go on walks. If we start walking, he will stop and sit and refuse to budge. If I let him, he will walk back home and sit in the front yard until we get back. He has done that for years.
In contrast of his laziness when it comes to walks, he is a sheep dog at heart and loves to chase and corral people. He also loves to play fetch and tug of war with a stick or one of his “babies”. He also loves the snow and will run in the snow and act like a puppy again.
Dave calls Bailey a lemon. I call him “special.” He is allergic to fescue grass, oak trees, dust mites and all types of food except fish and potato dog food (and fruits – he loves bananas the most). He also has a thryroid imbalance and took medicine for years. He hasn’t had his medicine in about two years now and he is doing great. I hated to always give him that medicine.
Bailey was my first dog that I got as an adult on my own. I got him in December of 2002 when I was living in Tampa and he moved with me to Nashville and then to NW Arkansas. He has always been my buddy and I love him so much. He is my Bailey Bear!!
Max:
Max is our 8 year old Lab/Beagle mix. We got him from the Rogers Animal Shelter in February of 2004 right after we moved to NWA. Dave wanted a “manly, hunting dog” to compliment high-maintenance Bailey. We picked the black lab puppy with the most energy and biggest paws to take home. Only after we got him home did our vet tell us that he was probably mixed with a Beagle. So he still looks like a lab puppy 8 years later. He’s short and stalky and just adorable. He is perfect.
He loves to chase animals and go exploring in the woods. We truly think he has 9 lives…he jumped out of Dave’s moving truck when he was on anesthesia after being neutered, was bitten by a poisonous snake, was hit by a car and lost in the woods for hours shortly after the boys were born, his tail was ran over and had to be amputated and somehow split his ear in half recently. He is one tough pup!
Max is our “Marley” from the book/movie “Marley & Me.” He is lovable and innocent but he is full of energy and used to tear anything and everything up when he was a puppy.
Being a rescue dog, he has always been afraid of new people, but once he warms up to someone, he will kiss them incessantly and protect them for life.
He loves Ben & Nathan so much. When they were babies, he would stand guard outside their door and cry if they cried and pace if they didn’t calm down right away. Now, he licks them and just wants to be close to them all the time. He knocks them over all the time because he just gets so excited when he sees them.
Chiquita:
Chiquita is our little princess. We think she’s also 8 years old and we think she is a Chihuahua and Fox Terrier mix. I found her 6 years ago in February when I was headed back to my office after a meeting. I was on a back road (with nothing around) and saw her running down the middle of the road. I pulled over and called to her. She ran right over, dropped the bird she had in her mouth, and jumped in my car onto my lap. At the time, I was shocked. But now that I know her, that is very fitting. She loves to have something in her mouth all the time (she has killed squirrels & birds but usually sticks to a stuffed toy) and she will jump into anyone’s lap within a five mile radius of her. She doesn’t discriminate. She loves people and loves affection.
She hates cold weather and prefers to stay under a blanket in front of the fireplace all winter. She loves to snuggle with anyone laying on the sofa and is a great afternoon nap partner.
She is a diva and hates to walk on cold or wet grass but, in complete contrast, she will run and explore with Max all day in the woods. And she isn’t afraid of anything. She has been known to fight possums, squirrels, and skunks.
She tolerates the boys and will roll over onto her back when they come near. I think she’s playing dead and hoping they’ll just forget about her and leave her alone. Typically, they pull her tail or ears or try to pick her up. She just stays perfectly still and lets them play with her. She is very tolerant.
Thanks for letting me share with you a little about our furry babies…I don’t ever want to forget the details of their personalities or how much we love them!
 |
| Dave and the pups running in the snow last year after a big storm |
Tomorrow, the boys turn 20 months old…I cannot believe how fast they are growing! I will post a 20 month update for them soon!