Furbaby Fridays

I wanted to talk about my first babies in a post all their own.  I love my dogs.  It's kinda creepy actually but my whole family is obsessed with dogs(their own and mine).  Tom and I got Sophie in November 2007.  She was our first baby together and a big step in our relationship.  Moving in together was a big deal but getting a dog was way bigger.  It was something we stressed about for a long time, we went back and forth about it but in the end Tom bought Sophie for me as a birthday present.  I looked online at breeders for a long time and actually wanted a different dog.  By the time we contacted the breeder the other dog was already sold.  Sophie was my second choice but she has turned out to be the best dog.

She is a long haired minature dacshund and is sable colored.  She has the best demeanor and is so laid back.  I love everything about her.  She has these huge fuzzy paws and the most expressive eyes.  I really truly love this dog and I know people say that about their pets but she is my first baby and always will be.  She was less than a year old when she was hit by a car.  She was actually in Pittsburgh staying with my family while Tom and I were on our first real vacation together when it happened.  She got out of their yard and ran into a main intersection on a busy road.  The person didn't see her and didn't stop even after they hit her.  It was terrifying for my mom and she still cries about it when she talks about it.  She had to call me to break the news and was so upset it scared the crap out of me.  My mom has never been that upset about anything.  Luckily we were back from vacation so we were able to drive up to PA in the middle of the night to make a decision about what steps to take.  It never crossed my mind to put a puppy to sleep so we opted for surgeries.  A lot of surgeries.  Her back end was completely smashed and basically her hips and back legs were shattered.  They repaired the best they could with pins and screws but weren't sure if there was nerve damage in both legs and whether she would ever walk.  She had the initial surgeries in PA and then we brought her back to Baltimore where she started therapy(water therapy, sonograms, and lots of stretching) but she never regained feeling in her right leg and was beginning to chew on her foot because of the lack of sensation.  We finally opted to remove the leg and have never regretted the decision.  She gets around like a normal dog and everyone who meets us says they didn't even realize she was missing a leg.  It was definitely a hard decision for us to make to go through so many surgeries because the downtime was hard and the money was tight.  We call her our million dollar baby.  People still look shocked when I say that in total with therapy (which was not cheap) that we spent $15k on a dog that only cost us $1500.  I can never justify it to anyone but if you have a pet you love more than yourself you would understand. 

We started talking about a second dog shortly after Sophie turned 2.  She loves her puppy companions at my moms house and we knew that she would love to have a built in puppy friend.  We considered buying another puppy but realized that there are a ton of dogs that need homes at the shelters.  We went to the shelters every weekend for a long time trying to find a good dog to bring into our little family.  Unfortunately here in Baltimore a lot of the abandoned dogs are big, much too big for my tiny house and we really wanted a smaller dog that would be on Sophie's playing level since she cannot jump at all without a back leg. Eventually we found Remington.  He was a baby when someone dropped him off at the shelter, only about 3 months old.  When we adopted him he was only 5 months old and I instantly regretted the decision.  A puppy is a lot of work especially when you already have 1 dog and both work.  It took a really long time for us to settle into a family of four.  

Don't get me wrong he was adorable but he was really hard to manage(and still is).  I think he was abused and spending time in a shelter at a young age with all the other dogs probably didn't help.  He is really weird around other dogs and strangers.  He yelps like he is being hurt and we have tried everything to alleviate the yelping and anxiety in him but have had no luck  thus far.  We aren't giving up  and never would.  We love him now and wouldn't ever think of getting rid of him.  He is definitely a mommy's boy and adores snuggling with me, but he isn't the biggest fan of Tom.  He wedges himself between the two of us whenever he can and doesn't like kisses from the dad, mom only.  He loves Sophie though and  she loves him too.  They wrestle and play together usually for an hour or so each morning and evening and then they retire to separate corners for naps.  They took awhile to warm to one another but now when I see them cuddled up sleeping together I can't help but smile.  My two babies together loving one another.  It will be interesting to see how our dynamic changes with a baby in the picture but I know no matter what our family will survive. 

this is the worst pic of me but it's my 3 babies in one shot!