July 31, 2010

Fact #20: Puppies rule

I want a dog. I've wanted a dog ever since I moved out of my parents' house. We always had at least one dog when I was growing up, more often two. One would be the 'older, wiser, sometimes cranky dog' and the other would be the 'younger, crazier, fun loving dog'. Then the younger one would learn life lessons from the older one, and the older one would learn bad habits from the younger one. It worked out very well.

My family has had 5 dogs over the years, and I love/loved them all with my whole heart.

Naomi:
She was our first family dog. I don't remember her very well, but I like seeing pictures of her in family photos from before I was even born. One thing I do remember very vividly is getting out of a naptime one day, where I had of course refused to close my eyes, then promptly laying down on the floor with Naomi and falling asleep.

Cowboy:
I was still pretty little when we got him, so in my memory he was never a puppy. I remember him only in his prime. One of my favorite memories about him is a game we used to play - I would scream "Eeeek!" and run out of the room, and he'd chase me, and then when he caught me we'd do it all over again, all over the house.

Lily:
I like to think of Lily as my dog. I loved her so much that honestly, just writing this right now, I started crying. She was the best dog ever. Oh man. She was around during my big formative years, so I remember so many things about her. I remember when we got her, we picked her up in the Vern's parking lot. I remember teaching her to navigate a huge obstacle course I built in the backyard - I taught her how to go through each part individually and then kept adding on bits, so finally I could stand at the finish and call her, and she'd run through the whole thing.

She was so smart. She was also a little cranky. I remember how she used to nip at Q's heels and it made him so mad. I remember the little white mark on her forehead that looked like a cactus. One time I colored it in with a highlighter to make it bright yellow. I remember how whenever I was sad, she would come up to me with such concern in her eyes and she would curl up next to me and her presence was so wonderful and sweet. I remember how my bird was in love with her and would sit on her head and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. And how her eyes would get all shifty and you could tell she was just wondering if he'd go down in one bite or two. I love you, Lily. You were totally my dog.

Regan:
The thing I loved about Regan the most is that she seemed like a puppy forever. I used to have to stop and think of how long we'd had her to remind myself how old she was. She was sweet and goofy and funny looking. She loved playing fetch and she'd jump so high for the ball it was amazing. She was a lot more antsy-pants than Lily, she would always rather play than sit still. She also used to do this really hilarious and embarrassing thing where she would stick her nose right in people's crotches. Not like crotch sniffing. No, she just thought that between your legs would be the perfect place to rest her face.

Te Beagh:
First of all, it's pronounced chey vek. She's funny. I love her, but I don't know her as well - she's the only family dog that I didn't live at home with for any period of time. But I did get to meet her when she was still just a little puppy. I went out to Colorado to run a marathon in my hometown, and she came out with my parents to cheer me on! Well, she seemed more interested in sniffing around in the grass, but whatever. One funny thing about her: her fur is black but her eyes are really light yellow, so she looks a little demonic. Seriously. People are afraid of her. But not me, because I've snuggled her tummy. Another funny thing about her: whenever she hears a siren go by, she howls.

Bruno:
Okay, he's not really a family dog. I mean, he's my brother and his wife's dog. But, um, I love him so much that he sort of has to be on this list. I lived with my brother and sister-in-law for a few months last summer, and Bruno and I bonded big-time. For one thing, he just has the most beautiful melty brown eyes you've ever seen. For another thing, he's also probably one of the most sweet-natured dogs on the planet. Everything about him is just good. He's a good dog. And one time, they put him in snowboots so he could take walks in the cold, and they videotaped it and emailed it to all of us, and I laughed for like a hundred minutes. My nickname for him is Bonko.

Sigh. Someday I'm gonna have my own dog. Probably named Maxwell Cornelius Awesome. We're gonna have so much fun together, I can't wait!


Til tomorrow.

3 comments:

Rick said...

What a fun post! I loved reading about all of our doggies (from your perspective). Yep, we've had great dogs, each one unique and lovable.

Nate said...

I remember packing the truck for my move to Chicago, and then loading up my car and leaving the door open. When I came back with the next load Lily was sitting in the front seat, ready to go!

Good dogs, all. :)

Pinolera said...

Cute post - FYI Lily was MY dog :)