Dogs- A man’s best friend

Ok so I got married in September and I wanted to be pregnant by December of that same year. It may have been my first lesson in life that you can’t always get what you want 🎶.... it was so difficult, I felt like a failure. A failure as a woman, a failure as a (newlywed) wife, a failure as a person who plans it all ahead of time. You could say it was my first lesson in patience.

Fast forward to May, my very supportive husband’s birthday. As a surprise I got him a dog! A bull mastiff puppy weighing in at 18lbs! Harlie! We were so in love! I was temporarily distracted from that baby fever. I dressed that dog up, I put heated blankets on her during winter, she was spoiled to say the least. I needed to nurture someone and she won the lottery in that aspect! Fast forward 2 years, still no human baby but I convinced my (still supportive) husband to get another puppy! So we did... and I remember a friend of mine telling me “once you have kids your dogs will NOT be your priority, in fact they’ll be a nuisance.” And I remember thinking “pshhh NOT me, not my baby dogs!” My dog babies, by the way, a funny antecdote, we brought home our 2nd dog, Dakota, on a Saturday and found out we were expecting our first child that Tuesday... THREE.days.later. The amount of morning sickness that coincided with the  puppy potty training should have been my first indication of the years ahead. As my belly grew, so did Dakota. By the time baby boy made his appearance, our dogs weighed in at 89 and 99 pounds!

And now, years later, with three babies and two (giant) dogs, most of the time our house feels crowded. With three babies and two (giant) dogs our priorities have shifted. With three (young) babies and two (giant) dogs, their size seems daunting. With three babies and two (giant) dogs, in a way, Harlie’s lottery win has faded. But, she’s earned one puppy sister and three human siblings. The dogs are so loved, by the kids especially, they always want to cuddle and climb and feed the puppies. But, BUT, that need to nurture them I had when Harlie was tiny, has overflowed to the trio of completely dependent tots and the doggies have been demoted- they’re not always our priority and they (mostly their strong wagging tails and loud barks -during naptime!!!!) are sometimes viewed as a nuisance. I stand corrected. Pfffffft

However, there is a saying that states you don’t choose your family, they choose you. Harlie and Dakota are part of our little family. They keep us safe from leaves 🍁 blowing in the wind, they keep our fenced in backyard safe from neighbors who want to enjoy their own backyard, they sound their bark-alarm anytime the mailman dares to cross our property line... they’re incredibly patient as the kids want to ride the horsey, they’re incredibly patient as they’re fed toddler sticky treats and (secretly) fruit snacks, they’re incredibly patient as our focus is on keeping the trio alive and well. Maybe one day our focus will shift and the valance will sway their way again. Maybe one day the tiny tots will grow older and become best friends and nurture each other!   

These (giant) dogs were my therapy for a long time. It’s all I can do to keep them here, loved, tot-abused, tot-treat-fed, because I won the puppy lottery... as much as I’ve shifted- golly piffle, they’re always there.

That pic was taken almost 8 years ago!!!!!