My Puppy Dogs

I had a friend that posted a “top 20 or so things that change when you have a baby” list. One of the things listed was that their dogs had taken a backseat. It was kind of funny, b/c the author immediately said that some would argue this point. I choose to argue this point.

I had a dog growing up. Her name was Carrie. She slept with me every night. We played ball all of the time. She would follow me around the house. I even took her to college with me. She lived 15 glorious years and when she died she was battling diabetes, arthritis, and blindness. At the end, when it got really bad, I came home from camp just to see her. She died that night. My dad said she waited for me. I rocked her to sleep put her to bed and she passed. I was thankful I didn’t have to make the decision, but heartbroken b/c she was gone. Even as I write this, I cry. I miss her.

I didn’t last six months without a dog in my life. That Christmas my parents got me Molly! Molly is about as close to the perfect dog as you can get. She LOVES to cuddle. She has slept with me from the day I brought her home. She is a great (and loud) watch dog. She gets jealous. She thinks she deserves all of my attention. Unless of course, she is getting love from her daddy or grandparents.

I won’t lie. I was a little nervous about how she would react to Nonie. It was like she realized how important Nonie was to her dad and me. She totally respected her. She wanted to share my lap with her, but would tip toe around her and never step on her. She even guards Nonie.

I was also shocked at how I reacted to her when I brought Nonie home. What I didn’t know, was that I would have to learn how to love her again. I came home with this baby I would do anything to protect and I saw Molly as a threat. However, now that we have all figured it out, I believe my love for Molly has grown. It may seem silly, but I can’t wait for Nonie to play with her and run around in the backyard with her. She is going to be a great companion for her like Carrie was for me!

Rewind. Two years ago this Christmas, Brother and I walked into Petsmart and saw Cairn Terriers up for adoption. There was no way I was going to be able to walk out of there without one. Merry Christmas to me…we took Millie home. Now, Millie is our special needs dog. She takes anti-anxiety meds twice a day and is just special. I was never and still am not afraid in the least that Millie will be aggressive or jealous of Nonie. However, she gets spooked VERY easily. When Nonie was only a week or so old, Millie hurled herself into my lap where I was nursing Nonie. Her nails scratched Nonie’s head. No major damage, but scared me nonetheless.

Two months later, Millie has slowly caught on to the importance of Nonie to all of us. If she gets to close, Molly will get between her and Nonie. Millie doesn’t jump on me when I am holding her anymore. She has also become more social lately and enjoys sleeping in her bed, instead of her cage.

All this to say, I don’t think my puppy dogs have taken a backseat. They just have a new seat and have to share it with Nonie! I don’t think they mind and I think one day very soon, they will enjoy each other’s company even more! Ok, done.