Smitten

I never had a dog growing up, and was actually a little frightened of them, since a big dog knocked me down in my toddler years.  My brother actually had a dog, and I got over the fear, but had no real relationship with Happy.

Then when I met Gershon and his family, Doobie was part of the package, and he was a very cool dog.  I guess I bonded with him to some degree, because I really cried when he died.  But then another 17 years passed before a dog came into my life.

7 years ago my kids wore down my resistance, I gave in, and we got a dog. He was my first dog, a Pug, and the boys named him Nacho.  And I fell hopelessly in love.  I finally understand the whole dog thing. In fact, the whole animal thing that I never comprehended as a child, when most of the girls I knew were crazy for dogs, cats, and horses. There is such an incredible spirit in animals, and such a passion between us. It became a whole new obsession for me.  When my kids were little, I used to admire other people's children. But now I'm a sucker for every dog I see.

I recently read "The Art of Racing In The Rain" by Garth Stein.  It's quite a tear-jerker, but in a good way. And he has created a wonderful character in the dog Enzo.  He captures the beautiful love between dog and human so well.  If you love dogs, read it.  If you don't love dogs, read it anyway and you might feel differently.

I feel like I missed out on a lot, when all the other kids were enjoying animals while I stood aside . But I'm glad we found Nacho before my kids were entirely grown up.  I think he really made a difference. As with having children, or making friends, once again you find that giving your love to someone new brings more love into your life.

I saw a greeting card that said something like  "We walk side-by-side, two completely different universes, connected only by love and a leash."  That's Nacho and me.

Messiah Coming Soon?

Well, Michael's was very disappointing. Didn't really find anything I was looking for. Of course, that doesn't mean I left empty-handed, but you know.... now i still need to hit a proper art supply store.                                                                

But here's the big news.  As soon as i finished drawing the Owl for our class homework, I took a deep breath and..... I drew my dog!!!  This has been itching at the back of my mind for a few weeks.... that I could probably do it, somehow.  And once the teacher presented the Owl, I felt that I could probably do Nacho.  It wasn't easy, but I did it, and it actually looks like him!  So I'm pretty excited.  A mere two months ago I could never have considered drawing something real.  And now... well, maybe the Messiah is near !

 
    

Happy Birthday Nacho!

Today is Nacho's 6th birthday. This year I made peanut butter cookies suitable for dogs or humans. I have a bone-shaped cookie cutter, but when I looked to find a Pug-shaped cutter, I had no luck. So I got a generic dog-shaped cutter, and developed a system of "alterations" to create Pug cookies. Here's how:

1. Cut off the upright ear, flip it over, and re-attach.
2. Cut off a little dough to shorten the snout.
3. Gently work the tail to make it longer and thinner, so you can curl it.

Voila! It's a Pug!


Happy happy birthday, Nacho!!

Love, Mommy

Molly's in the House!!

I grew up with all brothers, then had two sons at once, and now we have a male dog. I've never had any other female in the house, except my Mom. So having a female dog with us for a few weeks is really interesting!

Nacho is a "man's man," and is totally devoted to Daddy. But Molly, our guest, is definitely attached to me. And she has such a different aura than Nacho. I could grow to like this! She's young and energetic, but not so territorial. More curious, and also more excitable. Sound like anyone in your house?

Molly is such a sweet dog. But the poor thing is having a rough summer. First, her family's home burned down, with her inside. Luckily the firefighters were told to look for her, and they found her in time. Then she lived in two new & unfamiliar places. Then they brought her to our home and left her in our care for two weeks. Who knows what she's thinking at this point!?

So, it's no surprise that she's a little jumpy at the sound of every little noise. However, last Monday's thunder storm was no LITTLE noise! Personally, it was the worst I've ever experienced. And Nacho wasn't thrilled either. But poor Molly, she went nuts. She started running around the house at top-speed, barking her head off. I was reminded of the book "Marley and Me." I tried to hold her in my arms, but she didn't know me well enough to take comfort from me. She had only been here 4 days. I felt so bad for her. But then I got her up on the bed, and started rubbing her tummy, and she liked that too much to fight it! So she calmed down, and I think we started bonding. With each new thunderclap, I rubbed her tummy, and after a few, she let me hold her in my arms. Then we just sat through it together, Molly, Nacho and me.

Now we're having a good time. I'm sure she still misses her family, and will be ecstatic when they return, but in the meantime she seems more confident here. Nacho has taught her to use the doggy door, and she loves our big back yard. She gets out there and does the sheepdog-thing, running faster than lightning until she collapses. Nacho has also taught her to keep her nose out of his food bowl. He tries to pretend he doesn't like her, but I think he's getting to like playing with her.

Molly's a funny girl, and she has her own little quirks. I'm having fun experiencing her. I just hope we don't have any more thunder!