Dubya's Birthday :)

Today is Dubya's birthday. For those who might not realize, Dub is our labrador retriever. He was our "firstborn". Ha ha. I am a total dog person. I get joked on freely because of my love for dogs - especially big ones. I will also acknowledge freely - and now in a semi-public manner - that I can handle the death of a human fairly well, but cannot handle/think about/fathom thinking about the death of an animal - especially a dog. Jimmy always tries to tell me that I'm on top of the food chain, but I just don't care - seriously, I was a vegetarian for 5 years! I have a big granola girl side! That said...I love Dubya. I love to hug him. He's super cuddly, smart as a whip, the bestest big brother to W, and he truly has an innate sense about people's feelings. No lie. I know it sounds a little "Marley & Me", but when I miscarried our first pregnancy, before I even knew there was a problem, sweet little Dub stuck by me all day long, like glue, he laid by me on the couch, on my legs, then at my side, until I figured out that something wasn't right. There's no doubt in my mind that he knew what was up before I did.

I make a big deal out of his b-day every year. We do pics, we get gifts. Yeah, I've gotten him a pet-friendly bone shaped cake before. Heck, tonight, he even got a bath with some new organic anti-shed, good smelling shampoo. W picked out a rope-bone for him...granted, she calls it a scarf, but whatever. It's the thought that counts - she was throwing it for him & he was chasing it. I think it was a hit. We got him a pack of Greenies. They used to be his favorite - we used to get them for him almost weekly, until W came along & now the $ to do that just isn't there. We've taken him to the beach twice. He's a puppy college graduate. He's like me, he has a Master's degree, but doesn't really use it. Nice to know the knowledge is there, but you can choose to ignore it most of the time. Ha. He loves everyone with whom he comes into contact. He doesn't meet a stranger - except he doesn't really like smokers - can't blame him for that one - he has a sensitive sniffer! He lets W have her way with him. She listens to his heart, "checks" his blood pressure, looks in his mouth & ears & even "gives him a shot" with her doctors kit about 10 times per day. She sits on his back while he is laying down. She throws toys for him. She snuggles him, she wants him to be there when we read books at night, she can't go to bed without telling "Bubba" goodnight. He is truly a blessing to our family and helps complete our little group.

I'm so glad that we chose a labrador retriever. They are awesome family pets. We looked into a Mastiff - woah, that would've been a mistake! Whew! It was Jimmy who brought Dub into our family on a crisp, clear October afternoon. It was close to my birthday, but he wasn't my birthday gift, he was just a gift. A surprise. One of the best kept secrets ever. Good job on Jimmy's part. I was talking on the phone to my Dad after a day trip to Birmingham. I pulled into our driveway & looked in my rearview because a small blonde moving streak caught my eye...I saw Jimmy running after it & I told my Dad, "oh my gosh! I gotta go...I think Jimmy bought me a dog!". Best surprise ever! We rolled around in our big backyard. We took him to PetSmart that night & bought all of our doggie supplies. He was 10 weeks old & so small that he fit in the TOP of the buggy!!!! Wow!!! We knew that he was gonna be a biggie bc his paws were already enormous! What an awesome memory!!

Yeah, I'm a dog person. The shedding is horrific & annoying - especially bc I love to wear black. But, the love that we get from Dub is special and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Happy Birthday to my furry boy! We love you so much & wish you many, many more birthdays with us!